Industrial Fans

Fans are widely used in industrial and commercial applications. From shop ventilation to material handling and boiler applications, fans are critical for process support. In 2015, industrial fans were using 344 TWh electricity per year, making this group the third largest electricity consumer in the current ecodesign scope, preceded only by industrial motors and lamps.

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION DOING?

Fans put on the EU market must fulfil energy efficiency requirements put in place as of January 2013. The fans concerned have an electrical input power between 125 Watts (0.125 kW) and 500 kW. Thanks to these measures and the updated, tougher requirements in place since 2015, it is estimated that the EU saves 34 TWh electricity per year, equivalent to the residential electricity consumption of the Netherlands and Hungary combined.

It is now time to revise the rules and make them relevant to the new models developed. The revision is in progress, and an extra 10 TWh of energy savings could be reached every year from 2030, corresponding to the residential electricity consumption of Denmark. Unfortunately, the adoption of the new rules has been delayed since 2015.

WHAT DOES THE COOLPRODUCTS CAMPAIGN WANT?

• Regulate smaller fans (30W to 125W). These are sold in millions and have incredibly low efficiency rates;

• Have a common, ambitious efficiency requirement. The regulation currently sets different objectives depending on fan technologies and geometries. Harmonised efficiency requirements will help remove the remaining least efficient fan types from the market;

• Do not allow unjustified exemptions. Some manufacturers argue that fans integrated into other (regulated) products should be exempted from the regulation – a claim we strongly disagree with;

• Adapted procedures to allow market surveillance: publish a harmonised standard to support the implementation of the ecodesign regulation, and include a QR code in the rating plate linking to the technical information on the manufacturers’ website;

• Highlight the presence of rare earth materials in permanent magnet motors. This is important for reuse and recycling purposes.

 

Coolproducts technical input and position papers:

2015 – Position paper on the European Commission draft proposal to revise the Fans regulation

2015 – Contribution to the preparatory study on the review of the Fans regulation 327/2011

Last update: June 2019