Glossary
Appliance jargon, explained in plain language. We link to these terms from spec pages whenever they come up.
Air watts
A combined measure of suction and airflow used to rate cordless vacuum cleaning power.
Climate class
The ambient temperature range a refrigerator is designed and rated to operate in.
Decibel / noise class
How loud an appliance is rated in dB(A), plus its EU label noise-emission class.
ECO 40-60
The mandatory standard test programme EU energy labels for washing machines are based on.
Energy class (EU label)
The A to G letter rating on the mandatory EU energy label, A being the most efficient.
IP rating
A two-digit code describing how well a product resists dust and water ingress.
Place settings
The standard unit dishwasher manufacturers use to describe how much a machine can hold.
Pyrolytic (self-cleaning oven)
An oven self-cleaning mode that burns baked-on residue to ash at very high heat.