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Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards
(WELS) Scheme

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Welcome

Welcome to the inaugural InkWELS. InkWELS is produced by the Water Efficiency Team in the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH). InkWELS will be produced periodically to provide information about the WELS Scheme generally. With each new issue you will receive email notification and a link to the latest issue. All InkWELS bulletins will be posted on the publications page of the WELS website.

Please forward InkWELS to anyone you think may find it useful and encourage them to register to receive updates.

InkWELS is of a general nature only and is not intended to replace detailed information contained in the WELS Standard—AS/NZS 6400:2005 Water efficient products-Rating and labelling.

Important dates

The WELS Scheme became mandatory from 1 July 2006 and a large amount of work has been going on to meet the new requirements. Over 5,500 individual products are now WELS registered. Grace periods apply to WELS products imported or manufactured before 1 July 2006. For this stock:

• Unlabelled tap ware, showers, lavatory and urinal equipment may be retailed only until 31 December 2006.
• Unlabelled dishwashing and clothes washing machines may be sold from manufacture/import right through to retail until 31 December 2007.

All new products-that is, products manufactured or imported into Australia on or after 1 July 2006—must now be registered and labelled before they can be legally sold in Australia.

Amending the WELS Standard

Revisions to the WELS Standard—AS/NZS 6400:2005 Water efficient products-Rating and labelling are out for public comment. The headline amendments are to:

• call up only those performance requirements of supporting product standards that relate to water efficiency. This will clarify the WELS Scheme requirements; and
• explain more clearly the existing labelling provisions relating to stock display and sale.

The proposed draft amended standard can be downloaded free from Standards Australia. Comments on the draft are due to Standards Australia by 8 December 2006.

Spray test for showers

A force of spray test to help rate low flow showers is currently being developed and is expected to be finalised in early 2007. Registration holders of 3 star + showers (i.e. those with flows < 7.5 l/min) will need to re-register their showers once this new test comes into effect. Further advice about the need to re-register these products will be provided to relevant registration holders in early 2007.

Complying with the WELS Standard

Retailer outlets on the east-coast recently received visits from WELS inspectors. Products were checked for compliant WELS labels, and the inspectors met with store managers to discuss compliance issues for their stores. A number of labelling mistakes were noted and advice is being formally provided to affected retail outlets and companies. Below is a 'how to label' reminder.

Getting the WELS label right

The correct way to label products is as follows:

	water consumption number	where to place the label
showers	the nominal flow rate rounded up to the nearest half litre or the highest flow rate for the flow range for the relevant star rating (see Table 3.1 of AS/NSZ 6400:2005)	On packaging— on the front portion of the package when it is hung from a rack or placed on a shelf for supply purposes Without packaging— adhered to the product itself or a swing tag with the label information printed on both sides is securely fastened to the product
taps	the nominal flow rate rounded up to the nearest half litre or the highest flow rate for flow range for the relevant star rating (see Table 3.2 of AS/NSZ 6400:2005)	On packaging— on the front portion of the package when it is hung from a rack or placed on a shelf for supply purposes Without packaging— adhered to the product itself or a swing tag with the label information printed on both sides is securely fastened to the product
toilets	The average flush number on the label shall be either— rounded to the nearest one decimal place or the highest average flush number in the range for the relevant star rating (see Table 3.2 of AS/NSZ 6400:2005) If the toilet does not have a dual-flush mechanism, then the half-flush number on the label shall be zero	the upper front portion of the WC cistern, if supplied separately or with a WC pan as a toilet suite, and any display fronts for a WC pan, if supplied separately, the label shall be adhered to a prominent place on the WC pan and any display fronts for flushing mechanisms, if supplied separately, on the upper front portion of the packaging or adhered to a prominent place on the flushing mechanisms and on any display fronts if the finish may be permanently marked or stained by the adherence of a label (e.g., plastic cisterns) you may use a double-sided swing tag or a single-sided non-rotating swing tag
dishwashers	rounded to the nearest one decimal place	the upper front portion and any display fronts if the finish may be permanently marked or stained by the adherence of a label (e.g., stainless steel) you may use a double-sided swing tag or a single-sided non-rotating swing-tag
Clothes washing machines	rounded to the nearest whole number	the upper front portion and any display fronts if the finish is permanently marked or stained by the adherence of a label (e.g., stainless steel) you may use a double-sided swing tag or a single-sided non-rotating swing-tag

The colours for the labels are specified in the WELS Standard—AS/NZS 6400:2005 Water efficient products-Rating and labelling. The labels are to be printed in the following colours on a white background:

light blue - Pantone 5513
dark blue - Pantone 299
black - Pantone Black
white - Pantone White
red - Pantone Warm Red

Pantone is the definitive international reference for selecting, specifying, matching and controlling ink colours. In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system of identifying, matching and communicating colours to solve the problems associated with producing accurate colour matches in the graphic arts community. The Pantone website is at http://www.pantone.com.au/

Good WELS advertising

WELS inspectors have been discussing with retailers a number of instances of incorrect advertising of WELS registered products in catalogues and brochures. The correct way to advertise WELS products is as follows:

1. Reproducing the approved WELS label next to the product. If the page, or a discrete section of a page contains products that share the same water consumption number and star rating, then one label will be sufficient for all those products.

Please remember the following:

• the label shall not be obscured, altered or defaced in any way (e.g. not cut in half); and
• the label may be reduced in size as long as it remains readable.

2. Where there is insufficient space to reproduce the WELS label, use the text format as follows (with the appropriate numbers inserted) "WELS X Star, XL/min" or "WELS X Star, XL/wash".

You also need to remember...

• That advertising includes any instance where the product is displayed, promoted, marketed, sold or supplied at any point in the supply chain. This includes any product specifications, brochures, magazines, catalogues and websites where the product is profiled.
• Showrooms that display WELS products for the purposes of sale include trade and architectural displays as well as display homes and units (including building developments).

Whitegoods registrations expiring 31 March 2007

The WELS Regulator is in the process of writing to relevant registration holders regarding dishwashers and clothes washing machines registered to old standards. Registration holders will need to advise the WELS Regulator about the outcome of the testing against the up-to-date standards and how that impacts on the star rating and water consumption values.

Registration applications and the Christmas shutdown period

The WELS Regulator within DEH will be closed from 22 December 2006 until 2 January 2007. Any applications submitted in mid-December 2006 will not be processed until late January/early February as the Water Efficiency Team will be staffed with decreased numbers over the summer holiday period. We urge you to submit your applications before late November/early December.

Merry Christmas from the Water Efficiency Team!!!

For more information about any of the information in this publication contact:

Water Efficiency Team
Department of the Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
WELS@deh.gov.au
www.waterrating.gov.au
Free call 1800 803 772