Selection Criteria Taps and Showers heads

Selection Criteria Taps and Showers heads

Methodology

Topten.eu presents the most energy-efficient taps, flow regulators and shower heads of Europe.

All products listed on Topten.eu fulfill the following criteria:

Dark green arrow according to the Unified Water Label
Listed on the official product database of the Unified Water Label
A photo of the product must be included in the product database
Available on the European market

Order of presentation

The products are ranked according to their yearly energy consumption (kWh/year).

Glossary

Brand and Model

Name of the manufacturing company and the specific model.

Energy consumption per year

The energy consumption per year is based on fixed assumption on consumer behavior and calculated with the Energy Calculator from the Unified Water Label. Calculations in the energy calculator are based on the following assumptions:

Showers: 1 / day, 7 min ea.
Washbasin taps: 7 / day, 1 min. ea.
Kitchen taps: 7 / day, 1 min ea.
Conditions:
- Cold water inlet temperature: 15 °C
- Hot water output temperature
  38°C (showers)
  40°C (basin taps)
  45°C (kitchen taps)

Product data must be measured and declared according to the Unified Water Label.

Electricity costs in 10 years

Assumptions:

Costs for electricity during 10 years (product's life time)
Tariff of electricity: 0.30 €/kWh (there can be large differences depending on country or electrical utility)

Flow rate (l/min)

Maximum flow-rate through the appliance.

Efficiency class

Energy efficiency class according to the Unified Water Label. Performance bands indicate the energy efficiency class of the product. Dark green is the best class, light green to red are progressively less efficient classes.

The label indicates the water consumption (liter per minutes), the energy usage, and at the bottom icons with further product features. The less the water consumption and energy usage, the better the classification on the coloured scale.

Below table shows the maximum recorded flow rate of a product and the corresponding efficiency class. The scope of products for which the table is applicable: Taps, showers outlets, shower solution and, Electric showers and aerators.

Classification based on maximum flow rate (according to United Water Label)
Arrow colour	Max. flow rate (l/min)
Dark green	≤ 6
Light green	≤ 8
Yellow	≤ 10
Orange	≤ 13
Red	> 13

Type

The list can be filtered according to 3 different types of appliances.

Topten lists flow-regulators, mixers (taps) and shower heads.

Place of installation

The list can be filtered according to 5 different places of installation: washbasins, kitchens, showers, bathtubs, bidets.