SharePublication of EU eco-design regulations for commercial refrigeration appliances
The Ecodesign regulations setting energy efficiency requirements for commercial appliances will apply in all 28 EU member states from March 2021.
On October 1, 2019, the European Commission adopted ecodesign implementing regulations (1), setting out energy efficiency and other requirements for ten product groups including household refrigerators and refrigerators with a direct sales function (terminology for commercial refrigeration appliances).
Eight of these regulations revise already existing requirements, whereas refrigerators with a direct sales function are regulated for the first time with an objective of 48 TWh of annual final energy savings in 2030. (1)
These eco-design rules will be applied throughout Europe from March 1, 2021.
For commercial appliances, energy efficiency requirements result in a minimum Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) to be met, based on a Standard Annual Energy Consumption:
. From March 1, 2021:
Ice-cream freezers: EEI <80
All other refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function: EEI <100
. From September 1, 2023:
Ice-cream freezers: EEI <50
All other refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function: EEI <80
These values will be reviewed 4 years after implementation of the regulation.
New to the eco-design regulations for these products are requirements related to recyclability of appliances.
New labels will include a QR code that will enable consumers to obtain information on the product with their smartphones. This data will be available from the European Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) database where manufacturers are required to load information about their products. (2)
For any further information on these regulations, please contact Judith Evans, President of IIR Commission C2, at Refrigeration Developments and Testing Ltd (RD&T): j.a.evans@rdandt.co.uk