Local space heaters convert electricity and gaseous or liquid fuels into heat. Typical examples here are electric heaters or convectors (portable or fixed), luminous heaters or wood-burning chimneys. Local space heaters differ from boilers in that the heat production is localised and not produced in a centralised location (e.g. basement) and distributed throughout the building.
The wide scope of appliances covered makes it the largest group of heating appliances covered by ecodesign, with an expected 331 million units be installed in 2030. While pellet stoves and closed fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular, the largest energy savings (63 TWh/year) are expected to come from electric heaters, as they represent more than 70% of EU local space heaters.
WHAT’S THE EUROPEAN UNION DOING?
An Ecodesign Regulation (EU 2015/1188) has been in place since 2015 and is currently being reviewed. Among the items listed in the review clause of the regulation, are the appropriateness of setting stricter ecodesign requirements for energy efficiency and NOx emissions.
WHAT DOES THE COOLPRODUCTS CAMPAIGN WANT?
- Put a label on electric heaters. At the moment, while they represent by far the largest share of the product group, electric heaters are excluded from the scope of the Energy Labelling Regulation (EU 2015/1186), and consumers are unaware of their inefficiency.
- Remove from the market the least efficient technologies such as electric heaters without thermostats or controls, outdoor heaters.
- Adopt ambitious NOx emissions limit values.
Coolproducts technical input and position papers:
2022 – Position paper – Comments on ecodesign regulation for local space heaters
2019 – Local space heaters: Position on the ecodesign & energy labelling proposals
2019 – Stricter regulations are needed for electric heaters
2019 – Review study of Ecodesign for local space heaters Commission Regulation (EU) No 2015/1188
