The Energy Guide program was created to assist in the rating of "white goods", but what about smaller items and electronics which have no such label program?

Purchases are slightly harder in this case as you may need to revert to an energy meter ( here is an example ) or just depend on the information on the device’s rating label. Bear in mind that you’ll need access to an appliance over a significant period of time to conduct the tedious proper testing for an accurate result with a meter, since energy consumption needs to consider time for a proper evaluation (energy = power x time).

Let's use a typical coffee-maker to check the time factor in our assessment - a sample appliance with a 120V electrical rating label running at 10.5A. Your calculation therefore gives a power consumption of 1,260W.

 120V x 10.5A = 1,260W

On a Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m., you set your coffee brewing. You have your last cup by 11:30 a.m. before shutting the machine off. Using your now caffeine-enhanced mathematical prowess, you work out that your coffee maker has been on for 4 ½ hours, using a total of 5,670W of energy. 

1,260W x 4.5 hours = 5,670 watt-hours of energy (or roughly 5.7 kWh)

At a cost of 10 cents per kWh of energy, your morning cup of Java just cost you 57 cents of energy. Or did it? You may have calculated correctly but you’ve missed something: the appliance’s energy consumption changes over time. Even though the appliance label says that it will use 10.5A (or 1,260W) of power, it does not state that this is only the power required to boil the water. There is also power used to keep the pot warm afterwards! What, then, is the correct value? No clues here, unless the appliance can be measured with an energy meter – it’s anybody’s guess. 

Guidelines for appliances without labels

• High-wattage appliances, especially those over 300W, should only be used for short periods. This includes coffee makers, curling irons, hair dryers, clothes irons, electric kettles, space heaters and car block heaters.
• Using a crock pot is more efficient than using an oven.
• Use a plug-in timer to reduce the energy consumed.
• You can still use a coffee maker but it’s better to pour your brew into a thermos to keep it warm without consuming more energy. 
• Use an electric kettle to boil your water instead of using the stove.

Check our section on Appliances to learn about the energy consumption of your appliances

• All large home appliances like stoves, ovens, electric clothes dryers and washers, electric water heaters, central air conditioners and furnaces consume a lot of electrical energy. Always buy the most efficient model with a timer or some other suitable control for regulating use. 
• Microwave ovens are much more efficient than normal electric ovens. Bear in mind that the latter also give off a lot of excess heat which, although a bonus in winter, means a lot of wastage in summer – especially if that heat has to be