Cameron Tories vote to reject energy efficiency move

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th May 2009

Simple energy rating guides like this could be abandoned thanks to Cameron's Tories in the European Parliament.

Tory MEPs in the European Parliament voted today in support of a confusing new label for refrigerators. Because of their support, the label might now be introduced in the teeth of opposition from consumer and energy saving groups across Europe, including Which? and the Energy Saving Trust in the UK.

The new label proposed by the Commission introduces new categories of efficiency "beyond A": A-20%, A-40% etc. Opponents of the scheme say the new design is imcomprehensible and undermines the standard green-to-red A to G approach which was first introduced in 1992 and is understood by over 80% of the population in Europe. Countries outside the EU such as Brazil have also adopted the closed A-G model.

Said energy efficiency expert Lib Dem Fiona Hall MEP:

"Consumers need really clear information about the energy efficiency ratings of products in order to be able to make a choice which will save money and energy.

"It is true that at present, due to technology improving all the time, too many fridges currently on the market are labelled with a green A, giving consumers no clear indication which of those products is the most efficient.

"A much better approach would be to include the year of origin on the A to G label, and recalibrate the classification every few years to deal with improvements in efficiency technology.

" I am frustrated that a few votes from Tory MEPs narrowly lost the vote to block the Commission's proposal. The new label is a real "camel" - it's a compromise designed by a committee of Brussels bureaucrats. We are stuck with it because of the Tory failure to listen to what consumer groups have been saying and because the UK government gave in in the Council of Ministers.

However, MEPs did succeed in blocking a parallel proposal to use the new label design for televisions.

Said Fiona:

"TVs are receiving the energy efficiency label for the first time and I am delighted that this will be the classic A-G which everyone understands. I hope the Commission will take the necessary conclusions from this rejection and accept that the classic A to G system must remain."

Fiona Hall also pointed out that in a separate vote yesterday MEPs called for a revision of implementing measures under the recast of the Energy Labelling Directive, currently at the first reading stage. "I hope this will give us an opportunity to revise today's decision on refrigerators and bring it back into line," she said.