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Energy label on lamps: what do A to G mean?

Short answer

Since 1 September 2021 lamps use a stricter A to G scale. An old A++ is not the same as a new A.

Old vs. new label: The old and the new label side by side, with the message 'not comparable' and the date 1 September 2021.
Old vs. new label — The old and the new label side by side, with the message 'not comparable' and the date 1 September 2021. (The text inside the figure is in Dutch.)

Explanation

The EU rescaled the labels because nearly all products sat at the top of the old scale. For household appliances more than 90 % were in A+ to A+++. The new scale leaves room for better products. A lamp with label E can therefore be very efficient. The label has a QR code linking to the European product database EPREL.

Rules of thumb

  • New A–G scale for lamps since 1 September 2021. [SW-S03, SW-S07]
  • Compare lamps on lumens per watt; the average of all light sources sold was around 85 lm/W in 2020. [SW-S03]
  • Scan the QR code on the label for the full product sheet. [SW-S07]

Pitfalls

  • Do not compare an old label (A++) with a new one (A–G): the scales differ. [SW-S07]

Search terms

These search terms are in Dutch; only terms that also find a topic in English are links.

energielabel EPREL QR-code lampen

Read also

General information, not personal advice. Check the source and reference date.

Sources

  1. SW-S03 Light sources — product list page — Europese Commissie, Energy Efficient Products (Reference date 2026-09-27)
  2. SW-S07 New EU energy labels applicable from 1 March 2021 (IP/21/818) — Europese Commissie, persbericht (Reference date 2026-09-27)

Reference date: 2026-09-27 · Translated with AI from the Dutch original.