Televisions

For consumers

Overview

One in four Australians buy a new television each year.

By law, every television that is sold or supplied within Australia and New Zealand must meet a minimum level of energy efficiency. Each television in a store must also display an Energy Rating Label.

The Energy Rating Label tells you how much energy the television uses per year and gives you a star rating that allows you to compare its efficiency to televisions of the same size.

Is your product regulated?

Find out which GEMS determination or regulatory standard applies to your product

All products covered by energy efficiency regulations must meet certain requirements before they can be supplied or sold in Australia or New Zealand.

Depending on the product, this may include Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), energy rating label requirements or both. There are specific requirements relevant to Australia and New Zealand.

At a glance...

	MEPS	Energy Rating Label	Australia	New Zealand
Televisions	Yes	Yes	GEMS Determination	Requirements

Regulatory requirements

Televisions are subject to both Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and Energy Rating Label requirements in Australia and New Zealand.

Televisions imported for sale are required to meet Tier 2 MEPS and Energy Rating Label requirements. The full technical details for MEPS and ERL are specified in AS/NZS62087.1 and AS/NZS62087.2.2.

Standards are available for purchase from SAI Global or www.standards.co.nz.

Which televisions are covered?

Any display device that is designed for the primary purpose of showing television pictures and is supplied with a television tuner must meet the requirements set out in the relevant standards. This includes multifunction televisions and display devices supplied in modular form with an external television tuner.

Which televisions are excluded?

Handheld television sets powered solely from batteries.
Television display devices that do not have a television tuner and are not sold in a modular form with an external television tuner.
Front or rear projection display devices and televisions.

Learn more about the registration process

The Energy Rating Label on televisions

The Energy Rating Label can give you all the information you need to select the most efficient and lowest cost television (to run) that also meets your needs.

How can I calculate how much the television will cost to run?

As the price of electricity can change over time and is based on where you live, the cost of running the television is not given on the label. Instead, the label gives you the amount of energy the television uses in kilowatt hours (kWh). You can calculate the annual cost of running the television by multiplying the kWh figure by the cost of electricity in your area.

For example, the television you are looking at says on the label that it uses 600kWh per year. You know from your electricity bill that the price of electricity in your area is 29 cents per kWh. Simply multiple those two numbers together to find the cost of running that television each year. In this example, that would be $174 per year. Depending on how much you paid for the television, the amount of energy the television uses could equal the cost of the television in only a few years, making it all the more worthwhile to consider the energy efficiency of potential purchases.

What does the number of stars mean?

The number of stars on the label also helps you compare the efficiency of one television to another of the same size. For example, a 50-inch television with 6 stars is more efficient than another 50-inch television with only 5 stars. Unfortunately, the number of stars cannot be used to compare televisions of different sizes because the size of the televisions is used to calculate how many stars it can receive.

How do I use the energy consumption and stars together?

Both the energy consumption and the number of stars can be used together to give you all the information you need about the energy performance of the television. This information can then be taken into account in your purchasing decision.

For example, if two different 55-inch televisions have all the features you want but the energy rating label says Television A is 6 stars and uses 500kWh per year and Television B is 5 stars but uses 575kWh per year, you would choose Television A as it is more efficient than Television B because it uses less energy to get more stars.

Guide: Energy Rating Label

A simple, easy-to-read guide that explains how to interpret the Energy Rating Label and how purchasing a more efficient appliance can save money on energy bills.

View guide