Black Friday shoppers thinking of treating themselves to a bargain electrical appliance should make sure they understand how to tell the difference between an energy-efficient angel and an energy-guzzling nightmare.
Most fridges, washing machines, televisions and other household white goods and tech now come with labels explaining how energy efficient they are - but a third of consumers say they don't understand a new system adopted last year, according to research by comparison site Uswitch.
The original energy ratings labels were introduced by the EU in 1995, but they had makeover in the UK last spring which scrapped the confusing A+, A++ and A+++ ratings and reset the scale back to A to G. The Energy Saving Trust says the use of multiple + signs reduced clarity as modern products occupied the top two or three classes in the old scale, with more and more appliances over time moving into the A+++ category.
