Ecodesign and energy labelling
These topics are covered by two different European legislative acts and have in common the aim of reducing community energy consumption, acting on the product categories that are considered to have the greatest impact.
Ecodesign deals with the efficiency of these products, while energy labeling deals with information to the end buyer.
Ecodesign
The European law for eco-design is the ErP Directive 2009/125/EC on energy-related products.
Its scope includes both energy-consuming products such as water heaters or lighting fixtures, as well as products that influence energy consumption, such as windows or taps.
This directive defines a general regulatory framework that manufacturers must comply with, already in the design phase, to increase energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of their products. Connected to this Directive, numerous specific implementation measures have been published, in the form of Regulations, each concerning a specific product category.
Each implementation measure constitutes a particular standard, which establishes precise indications for assessing the conformity of a specific product category and determines the minimum acceptable limits of energy performance and other environmental parameters.
To find out whether a specific category of products falls under this Directive, in practice one has to check whether a specific implementing measure applicable to that category has been published.
It is interesting to note that this directive also includes all those products which, due to their widespread diffusion, are relevant, even if individually they do not absorb much power, for example battery chargers or equipment that can remain in a stand-by state.
Energy labelling
Energy labels uniformly classify appliances based on the amount of energy consumed. In this way they help
consumers to save by choosing products that consume less energy and guide companies in designing future products.
For some product groups the energy label must be visibly affixed to each product at the point of sale.
This topic is currently regulated by the European Regulation (EU) 2017/1369, which replaced the previous ones 2010/30/EU and 92/75/EEC.
This Regulation defines a general regulatory framework. Connected to it, numerous specific implementation measures have been published, in the form of other Regulations, each concerning a specific product category.
Each implementation measure establishes precise indications for the energy classification of a specific product category and which other parameters must be indicated on the label.
As in the case of ecodesign, applicability to a product category is determined by the existence of a specific implementation measure dedicated to that category.
All products requiring energy labels must be registered in the European EPREL database before they can be sold on the EU market.
Sicom Testing can provide a complete service on ecodesign and energy labelling, as well as consultancy for these topics.