By Ian Neubauer
VICTORIA: The Victorian Government has launched a campaign to provide information on energy and water-efficient appliances at 300 retail outlets across the state.
Dubbed the ResourceSmart Retail Program, the initiative will help customers compare the environmental performance and running costs of household appliances and lightning products.
“Household appliances account for 61 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions from a typical Victorian household,” said Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings, in a statement to the press.
“This program ensure consumers get the right advice at the right place to make informed decisions on how to minimise their impact on the environment.”
Citing unspecified research that shows a significant number of shoppers make purchase decisions in store, the Minister said the initiative will include training for floor staff to advise customers on the efficiency of individual appliances.
“Customers will also find brochures and easy to use calculators showing the greenhouse gas and water savings made by choosing higher efficiency products,” he said. “For example, choosing a five star fridge instead of a model with four stars will avoid about two tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime.”
Participating appliance, lighting and hardware retailers include AGL Energy, Beacon Lightning, Bunnings, Camberwell Electrics, Clive Peeters, ELGAS, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, Mitre 10 and Origin Energy.