Electricity basics
How to Read an EnergyGuide Appliance Label
Read the yellow EnergyGuide label without confusing it with ENERGY STAR. Compare annual kWh, similar models, and your own electricity price.
Use the label's energy figure to compare similar appliances. Its displayed running cost uses standardized assumptions. EnergyGuide and ENERGY STAR are different labels.
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The yellow EnergyGuide tag helps you compare appliances. Use its energy figure and your own electricity price to compare running costs.
The FTC's label guide explains that the cost estimate uses typical use and a national energy price. Personal use and local prices can differ.
Find the model and comparison group
Start with the exact model number and the appliance's main features. Check that the seller's label matches the product you are considering.
Look at the comparison range. Similar capacity and features make an energy comparison more meaningful. A smaller fridge is not necessarily a better choice if you later need a second one.
If the label is missing, check inside the appliance or look on the manufacturer's website. Not every product type has an EnergyGuide label. Do not assume an unlabeled small device breaks the labeling rules.
Use the energy figure, then your rate
For an electric appliance with annual kWh, multiply that figure by your current variable price per kWh. This changes the price assumption while preserving the label's energy assumption.
Suppose a hypothetical fridge label states 400 kWh per year. At an example $0.25/kWh, estimated annual electricity cost is 400 × 0.25 = $100. An evenly spread monthly average is about $8.33.
That average does not predict each month's energy. Room conditions and use may vary. It is a way to interpret the label's annual figure.
EnergyGuide is different from ENERGY STAR
EnergyGuide is the yellow energy-comparison label. ENERGY STAR identifies products that meet the program's efficiency criteria. A product can display both.
Neither badge removes the need to compare actual model data. The ENERGY STAR refrigerator page discusses capacity and features that can affect energy use.
Avoid choosing solely from a printed annual dollar figure. If two labels assume different electricity prices, their displayed costs are not directly comparable. Compare energy figures and recalculate both with the same rate.
Check the label system and unit
Labels differ between countries and over time. Some show annual energy, some show energy per cycle, and some show energy per 100 cycles. Read the denominator before calculating.
For example, the European Commission's tumble-dryer guidance describes labels introduced from July 2025. Their weighted energy use is shown per 100 drying cycles.
A hypothetical 120 kWh per 100 cycles means 1.2 kWh per labeled cycle average. It does not mean 120 kWh every load. Older annual labels need their stated test-use assumptions; do not invent a cycle count.
Turn the comparison into a buying check
- Confirm the same model, capacity, and relevant features.
- Identify the energy unit and the label's test basis.
- Apply the same local rate to both choices.
- Compare purchase, installation, and operating costs separately.
- Calculate payback with your expected use, local rate, and purchase-price difference.
If you already own the appliance, measured normal-use kWh can give another useful reference. A label and a measurement need not match exactly.
Use the appliance comparison calculator only after putting both choices onto the same annual basis. Record where each energy input came from.