Go green, but with an eye to the wallet

by Anna de Polo

A recent survey conducted by Accenture ("Revealing the Energy Values ​​of the New Consumer") revealed that 80% of Italians are in favour of choosing an alternative provider for the supply of electricity and energy efficiency programs, as long as this will translate into savings on their bill. Not that there was need for a statistical survey to find out that virtually we all agree to reduce the personal impact on the environment, but in practice we are committed to do so only if it reduces, or at least does not increase, the family costs. For this reason there are many Internet portals that offer practical advices to consumers to direct their purchases towards products that maximize value for money and, at the same time, comply with standards of environment quality.

Among these, one is Topten, an online search tool that allows you to compare various types of electrical equipments and choose the best from the point of view of not only energy efficiency but also the energy cost of the product in its entire lifecycle, as well as of the price, the brand and the aesthetic. The different products are classified into categories (e.g. cars, household appliances, lighting and office equipment) and are selected according to the criteria of energy efficiency, quality and the impact on the environment and health. This allows on one hand to raise consumers awareness about the impact of their energy consumption on climate change, and on the other to encourage companies to improve their energy standards.

Nothing really new in reality: just think of the energy labelling scheme (eco-labelling), which has so far proved to be a useful tool for consumers and effective for the environment, thanks to its high potential for energy savings. The new EU directive on eco-label has introduced several new novelties, including the requirement for energy labelling of TVs. The eco-label also becomes mandatory in case of direct sales, rental and also in distance selling, i.e. on internet. This legislation is part of the energy plan of the European Union, which is introducing more and more rules to achieve the target of 20% for energy efficiency by 2020. On 22nd June they proposed a new European directive that combines into a single legal instrument the earlier directives on the management of energy supply and final energy consumption. "Our proposal aims to make more efficient the ways to use energy in our daily lives - said Gϋnther Oetinger, European Commissioner for Energy - and to help citizens, public authorities and industry to improve managing energy consumption. This should also lead to reduced energy bills".

In conclusion, if on one side consumers are proving willing to engage more '"green" behaviours, on the other the energy suppliers and manufacturers are more and more stimulated, precisely because of this trend, to improve the energy efficiency of their products, thanks also to EU incentives. It remains to be seen whether this situation will trigger a virtuous cycle that will allow achieving the goal of 2020, from which for now Europe is still far away.