• Impact
• Global market
• Definition
• Constraints
• Assumptions
• Value range
• references

• 😊 Decrease final electricity demand if rebound effects are excluded.
• 😊 Decreases final energy consumption, if re-bound effects are excluded.
• 😐 No direct impact on the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.
• 😊 Likely to increase energy independence and energy security.

• 😊 Likely to reduce Swiss CO₂ emissions, impact on global CO₂ emissions depends on embodied energy of new appliances.
• 😣 If older, but still functioning, appliances get replaced on the grounds of energy efficiency, this could increase deposited waste and environmental impacts related to end of life treatment of materials as well as mining of materials for new products

• 😐 Impact on total costs of the energy transition not well understood.
• 😊 Efficiency labels and ratings make users more aware of energy use
• 😊 May improve balance of payments by substituting oil imports by domestic electricity.
• 😣 May reduce Confederation income from the tax on electricity under the current taxation system.

The indicator includes electric household appliances.

Modern household appliances often require less energy to do the same useful work. Especially appliances such as refrigerators and freezers, laundry machines and dish washers, but also TVs are available with much lower consumption than their predecessors.

Based on the energy rating (A+++ to G in EU) the consumer can compare new products based on their typical annual electricity consumption before making a purchase.

• Replacement of old appliances by new and efficient ones is often not economically viable based on saved energy cost and current electricity prices
• ‘Rebound effects’ may counteract the energy savings from more efficient appliances. The financial savings from lower running costs can lead to purchase of more appliances, or changes in lifestyle (e.g. wash more often).

The annual average electricity consumption of the appliances in a household [kWh/(year∙household)] is the selected parameter for studying the appliances efficiency. In 2011, the appliances of household consumed an average of 2873 kWh [2]. The expected future value ranges for the average energy performance of the Swiss building stock are [2]:

• 2035 = 2429 – 2661 kWh/(year∙household)
• 2050 = 2436 – 2851 kWh/(year∙household)

The appliances annual average electricity consumption includes the electricity used by:

• Appliances that can be found in the kitchen (stoves, oven, fridge/freezer, dishwasher and other cooking auxiliaries).
• Washing machine and dryer.
• IT and audio-visual (TV, computer, gadgets, etc.)
• Air conditioning and ventilation systems.
• Other (hair dryer, iron, vacuum cleaner, etc.)

Some appliances as the air conditioning and ventilation systems are expected to have an important expansion. Because of the expected higher temperatures more households will be equipped with this technology. This fact reduces the effect of having more efficient appliances as more appliances are installed. E.g. the average electricity consumed by the air conditioning and ventilation systems was 350 kWh/(year∙household) [2], while in 2050 is expected to be 526 – 659 kWh/(year∙household) [2].

[1] Energy Efficiency Market Report 2013, Market Trends and Medium-Term Prospects, http://www.iea.org/W/bookshop/add.aspx?id=460

[2] PROGNOS 2012, Die Energieperspektiven für die Schweiz bis 2050, Energienachfrage und Elektrizitätsangebot in der Schweiz 2000–2050.