Citizens of Serbia more familiar with energy labels on home appliances compared to 2021

The number of Serbian citizens who know what is the purpose of energy labels on home appliances is slightly higher than in 2021, and now it is more than two thirds (68%), while even 80% of appliance buyers know what the energy labels mean, which is progress of 10% compared to last year – reveled the second  survey on consumer purchase habits and familiarity with the energy efficient appliances conducted within the EU project “EU4Energy Labelling and Eco-design of Products”.

Concerning the effects of the campaign on the importance and significance of energy labels “Turn to green – Okreni na zeleno”, 56% of household respondents familiarized with the campaign said it motivated them to pay extra attention to the energy efficiency of appliances when shopping, while 45% said they helped them learn something new.

The number of Serbian citizens, but also potential buyers of white goods, who are familiar with the term "energy efficiency" has increased compared to 2021. There are 81% of Serbian citizens, and 87% of those who showed interest in buying new home appliances who have heard about the energy efficiency.

The concept of energy efficiency reached the largest number of Serbian citizens via television (53%), while every fifth citizen on average (19%) learned about this term via the internet. Internet is primary means of information for citizens who have already decided to buy a new home appliance.

The percentage of respondents who pay attention to the level of energy efficiency of the appliances they buy has been increasing in the previous twelve months. Compared to January 2021, there was a growth of 5% among citizens who claim to always pay attention to the level of energy efficiency of appliances they buy (48%), while every fifth respondent never does so.

The price of appliances (35%) and the brand of the manufacturer (32%) are still the two factors that most influence the respondents upon the selection and purchase of electrical appliances. In the third place this year are the terms of payment, i.e. the possibility of buying in instalments, which is determined as a deciding factor by 12% of citizens, twice as much as in 2021.

Although the situation from the last year has improved, there is still room to improve the understanding of individual responsibility for the purchase and use of energy efficient appliances and their impact on the environment.