an indication of the annual power consumption relative to a reference consumption that is based on the storage volume and the type of appliance (refrigerator or freezer). The boundary between the A+ and A classes is 44 up to 1 July 2014, and 42 after that date. The label also contains: the annual energy consumption in kW·h the capacity of fresh foods in litres for refrigerators and combined appliances the capacity of frozen foods in litres for freezers and combined appliances the noise in dB(A) For cold appliances (and this product alone), for models that are more economical than those of category A, categories A+, A++ and A+++ have been assigned. Washing machines and tumble dryers Up to 2010, the energy efficiency scale for washing machines is calculated based on a cotton cycle at 60 °C (140 °F) with a maximum declared load. This load is typically 6 kg. The energy efficiency index is in kW·h per kilogram of washing, assuming a cold-water supply at 15 °C. The energy label also contains information on: total consumption per cycle washing performance – with a class from A to G spin drying performance – with a class from A to G maximum spin speed the total cotton capacity in kg water consumption per cycle in litres noise in the washing and spinning cycles dB(A) The washing performance is measured according to European harmonised standard EN 60456 and is based on a 60 °C cycle on fabric samples with stains of oil, blood, chocolate, sebum, and red wine, using a standardised detergent and compared against a reference washing machine. The amount of stain removal is then translated into a washing performance index. The spin-drying efficiency class is based on the remaining moisture content (RMC), which is the mass of water divided by the dry mass of cotton fabrics. It is based on a weighted average of full-load and partial-load cycles. A new energy label, introduced in 2010, is based on the energy efficiency index (EEI), and has energy classes in the range A+++ to D. The EEI is a measure of the annual electricity consumption, and includes energy consumed during power-off and standby modes, and the energy consumed in 220 washing cycles. For the washing cycles, a weighted mix consisting of 42% full-load cycles at 60 °C, 29% partial-load cycles at 60 °C, and 29% partial-load cycles at 40 °C. The washing performance