When purchasing an electronic item, such as a refrigerator, air conditioner, water heater, ceiling fan, or television, you may have noticed the Star energy-efficiency rating or the Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) rating.
The rating indicates how energy-efficient a product is, the amount of energy it consumes at full capacity, the brand it belongs to, the model/year of the product, and the year for which the ISEER rating is valid. The purpose of the rating is to help consumers assess a product’s energy efficiency.
What if we told you that the European Union is working on a similar rating for crucial aspects, such as the energy efficiency class the product belongs to, battery endurance per cycle, and repairability class, among others? This is for devices like smartphones.
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European Union’s Energy Labelling (EPREL) Rating: What Is It?
As part of the Energy Labelling Regulation put in place by the European Union, cordless phones, feature phones, smartphones, and tablets (between seven and 17.4 inches) — from June 2025 — must have a European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) rating in the box.
What Does The European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) Rating Include?
- Protection from dust and water ingress and resistance to accidental drops or scratches.
- Batteries that can withstand at least 800 charge cycles while retaining 80% of their initial charge holding capacity.
- Smartphone manufacturers should make critical spare parts available within five to 10 working days. Further, spare parts should be available for seven years after the products go off the shelves in the EU market.
- The rules also mandate the availability of software upgrades for at least five years from the date the last unit of a product model is placed on the market.
- Last but not least, the rules also mandate non-discriminatory repairs to any software or firmware that’s required for replacement.
Moreover, smartphones and tablets will need to display information related to their energy efficiency, battery endurance, ingress protection, and repairability score in the format shown below.
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Here’s What An EPREL Rating Tag Will Look Like
- The scale of the energy efficiency classes ranges from A to G.
- The energy class of the product.
- The battery endurance per cycle, in hours and minutes per full battery charge.
- Free fall reliability class.
- Battery endurance cycles.
- Repairability class.
- Ingress protection (IP) rating.
If any detail changes during a product’s life cycle, it must be updated on its EPREL rating.
The labels will help consumers choose more efficient and sustainable products from the shelves. Furthermore, they will also inform buyers about important aspects, such as the product’s durability and repairability. Moreover, it is a welcome initiative for buyers and will be effective from June 2025.
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