THE Department of Energy has launched a programme to remove high energy consuming appliances from the South African market.

Minister Jeff Radebe officially introduced the programme to the market and launched the Appliance Energy Calculator mobile application, which aims to assist consumers estimate the running costs of appliances before making a purchase.

The project is part of an integral part of the measures geared towards reducing electricity consumption and the carbon footprint in the residential sector in South Africa.

‘Following the successful launch of the energy saving website, the Appliance Energy Calculator mobile app is the next innovation, allowing consumers to make in-store comparisons of different models.

‘The app allows customers to enter the relevant information, easily sourced from the mandatory energy label on the appliance, into the app, which calculates the estimated running cost of the appliances of their choice over a one to 10-year period – showing which appliance uses the least electricity.

Radebe said while government cannot always control how citizens choose to use their electricity, ‘it was imperative for us to implement measures that ensure that appliances sold in South Africa are regulated and energy efficient’.

‘Access to electricity for all South Africans remains a core objective of government and so is the efficient use of this resource.