Can you trust a green rating?
The truth? When a product is marketed on its green credentials you would like to think you could trust the manufacturer’s claims. However, towards the end of 2015 there have been a number of cases which raise considerable doubts. The most heavily publicised example involves Volkswagen. It has put its hands up to the fact that it’s not been playing fair when it comes to emissions testing. But it appears that it’s not the only company that might have over-sold its green credentials. Vacuum manufacturer Dyson has launched legal action against rivals Bosch and Siemens. It says that independent testing has identified that their vacuum cleaners are nowhere near as green as they claim.
Test results. Dyson claims that machines made by these competitors draw more than 1,600w of power, despite having a rating of 750w. It alleges that these rival companies’ vacuum cleaners achieve the claimed lower power settings only when there’s no dust - as is the case during product testing. Its case is that consumers who are buying these products on the basis of the AAAA energy rating are being misled because they draw much more energy in actual use.
There’s more. It’s also been reported that Samsung televisions aren’t as efficient as stated. Initial investigations appear to indicate that they draw less energy in test conditions than they do in real-world use.
Tip 1. To prevent claims - and legal action - being brought against you, always make sure that you can back up your green statements. For example, use independent audits, benchmark against known standards, etc. Don’t massage the figures. If you’re found out it will certainly damage your reputation.
Tip 2. When buying products always try to find independent reviews of energy ratings/actual use. As these cases show, you might not receive figures from the manufacturer that you can fully rely on.
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