Energy and consumer glossary

Short definitions for the terms used across this site's energy-label, appliance energy-use and consumer-rights pages, each written in plain English.

kWh (kilowatt-hour)

A kilowatt-hour is the unit electricity bills are measured in: it is the energy used by a 1,000-watt device running for one hour. An appliance's "annual kWh" figure is how many of these units it uses in a year under a standard test.

ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that certifies appliance models meeting a set energy-efficiency threshold. Certification is voluntary for manufacturers and does not cover every model on the market.

Fonte: ENERGY STAR Product Finder — U.S. EPA.

EnergyGuide label

The yellow EnergyGuide label, required by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on most new major appliances, shows the estimated yearly energy cost and how that model compares with similar models — separate from, but often shown next to, the ENERGY STAR mark.

GHS pictogram

A GHS (Globally Harmonized System) pictogram is one of nine standardized diamond symbols — flame, skull, corrosion and others — that label a chemical's hazards the same way worldwide, so a warning reads the same regardless of language.

Fonte: Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200 — OSHA.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A Safety Data Sheet is the standardized 16-section document a chemical manufacturer must provide, listing hazards, first aid, storage and handling. It is the document to check before mixing or storing any household chemical.

GTIN

A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the number encoded in a product's barcode. A 12-digit UPC and a 13-digit EAN are both GTIN formats; the number identifies the product and its manufacturer, not an individual unit.

Fonte: GTIN standard — GS1.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

A 1975 U.S. federal law that sets minimum disclosure rules for written consumer-product warranties and bars manufacturers from voiding a warranty just because an independent shop, or a non-brand-name part, was used for repair or maintenance.

Fonte: 15 U.S.C. §2301 et seq. — U.S. Code.

Right to repair

A set of laws and rules requiring manufacturers to make parts, tools and repair documentation available to owners and independent repair shops, not only to the brand's own authorized network.

Extended warranty

A paid service contract, sold on top of the manufacturer's included warranty, that extends coverage in time or scope. It is sold by the retailer or a third party, not by the appliance maker, and its value depends entirely on the product's real failure rate.