WELS on washing machines is a voluntary scheme and adopts a grading type labelling system. As a prerequisite for participation in the Scheme, the washing machines shall be registered under the Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (EELS).
Under this Scheme, participating washing machines are classified into 2 categories in accordance with Table 1:
Table 1: Classification of Washing Machines
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Horizontal drum type washing machines |
| 2 | Impeller type or agitator type washing machines |
Note: In each category, it also includes washing machines operating with similar working principle.
The water efficiencies of washing machines are rated to different grades according to their category and water consumptions (as being rounded off to one decimal place) as shown in Tables 2 and 3. Grade 1 is the most water efficient whereas grade 4 is the least water efficient.
Table 2: Conversion of Water Consumption to Water Efficiency Grades for Washing Machines of Category 1
| Water Consumption of Category 1 Washing Machines w (litre/kg/cycle) |
Water Efficiency Grade | Symbolic Presentation on the Water Efficiency Label |
|---|---|---|
| w ≤ 9.0 | Grade 1 | 1 water droplet  |
| 9.0 < w ≤ 11.0 | Grade 2 | 2 water droplets |
| 11.0 < w ≤ 13.0 | Grade 3 | 3 water droplets |
| 13.0 < w | Grade 4 | 4 water droplets |
Table 3: Conversion of Water Consumption to Water Efficiency Grades for Washing Machines of Category 2
| Water Consumption of Category 2 Washing Machines w (litre/kg/cycle) |
Water Efficiency Grade | Symbolic Presentation on the Water Efficiency Label |
|---|---|---|
| w ≤ 16.0 | Grade 1 | 1 water droplet |
| 16.0 < w ≤ 19.0 | Grade 2 | 2 water droplets |
| 19.0 < w ≤ 22.0 | Grade 3 | 3 water droplets |
| 22.0 < w | Grade 4 | 4 water droplets |
In order to obtain grade 1 to 3, the washing machine shall also meet all the performance requirements as stipulated in the Code on EELS, i.e. washing performance and spin extraction performance. Only grade 4 will be accorded if the washing machine does not meet anyone of these performance requirements or w > 13.0 (for category 1 washing machines) or w > 22.0 (for category 2 washing machines).
The provisions of this Scheme shall apply to the washing machines that have washing capacity normally not exceeding 10 kg for household use. The washing machines that have larger capacity or for industrial use or have no spin extraction capability or use non-electric energy sources are excluded.