The short answer
Great Britain and Northern Ireland can use different energy-label regimes. Check the market, full model identifier, applicable label and information sheet before choosing an energy input. The printed unit and programme matter to the calculation; a GB document does not automatically establish an EU or Northern Ireland model record.
Start with the market and the model
Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has a different relationship with EU product rules. GOV.UK’s energy-information guidance describes the distinction, including UK-marked labels for GB and EU-marked labels for NI.
The useful consumer question is not simply whether a product is “European”. It is which label and product information sheet apply to the exact appliance you are buying.
Tumble dryers need particular care
The EU introduced an A–G dryer label with energy per 100 drying cycles from July 2025. Great Britain has a separate, staged transition set out in the government’s March 2026 response. That response distinguishes the labels supplied to retailers from the label displayed to shoppers, including temporary easement arrangements. Do not assume the EU introduction date is a universal UK changeover date.
This is a consumer reading guide. For current supplier obligations and transition arrangements, follow the linked GOV.UK guidance rather than relying on a retailer’s shorthand description.
Read the printed unit before calculating
An annual figure belongs in the annual input. A per-100-cycle figure needs dividing by 100 before applying a household frequency. A per-cycle figure already describes one cycle on its stated basis.
These illustrative examples demonstrate the input choices; they are not a claim that different label versions are equivalent:
| Source states | Correct calculator input |
|---|---|
| 300 kWh per year | 300 and kWh / year |
| 100 kWh per 100 cycles | 100 and kWh / 100 cycles |
| 1.0 kWh per cycle | 1.0 and kWh / cycle |
At £0.28 per kWh, the annual example costs £84.00. The per-cycle examples cost £0.28 for one stated cycle; four cycles each week would give £58.24 across 52 weeks.
Check the product information too
Match the identifier on the label with the model being sold. Where a QR code is present, check that the information reached describes that same model. For GB, do not assume every QR destination is EPREL.
Use the dryer calculator with the unit shown on your own source. Read the EU dryer-label guide for that regime, and the tariff guide for the price input.