Ecodesign & Energy Labelling Package – strengths & weaknesses of each measure

The long-awaited Ecodesign & Energy Labelling Package is finally becoming a reality!

With a total of 11 Ecodesign regulations and 6 Energy Labels, the 2019 package of measures will save Europeans 140 TWh per year from 2030 onwards, which is equivalent to 5% of EU electricity consumption.

The Package will oblige manufacturers to produce electrical goods that do the same job while wasting less energy. The proposals would also help reduce waste and save resources thanks to provisions to make products more easily repairable and recyclable by design.

Now let’s take a look at the measures one by one!

Domestic refrigeration

The revised Ecodesign and Energy Label rules are set to enter into force on 1 March 2021 and trigger 10 TWh of electricity savings per year by 2030, as much as the residential electricity consumption of Denmark.

What we like

• Good level of ambition to improve the energy efficiency of products

• Fairer rules through more realistic calculations

• Inclusion of wine coolers and minibars with glass doors in the scope

• Ease of disassembly of key parts, repair information available to professional repairers

Weaknesses

• The repair provisions are too limited – not enough spare parts are to be made available for repair and even fewer will be available directly to consumers

• No icons have been added on the label to help consumers purchase durable products

• Built-in fridges are still favoured over stand-alone appliances

Read more

• Final Ecodesign text is available here.

LIGHTING

Updated requirements on lighting will save around 40 TWh of electricity per year by 2030, nearly as much as the national electricity consumption of Portugal. One of the major changes foreseen by this regulation is the replacement of halogen fluorescent tubes, mainly used in offices and industrial settings, with their LED equivalent.

What we like

• Replacement of inefficient halogen lighting products with their LED equivalents

• Legislative simplification by merging three regulations into one

• Ambitious limits on flicker and stroboscopic effects

• Ease of disassembly of the light source foreseen

Weaknesses

• Phase out of most inefficient fluorescent tubes postponed to 2023 (three years of delay!)

• Possibility to evade ease of disassembly if ‘a technical justification’ is provided, which could open the door to abuse

Read more

• Final Ecodesign text is available here.

TVs & DISPLAYS

The current Ecodesign & Energy Labelling regulations, outdated and largely ineffective, were in desperate need of revision. The new regulations will bring about additional energy savings of around 40 TWh per year by 2030, equivalent to powering 10 million electric cars for a year.

What we like

• Wider scope covering TVs, monitors and some signage displays

• Energy efficiency levels that better reflect market evolution

• Rules for software updates & against circumvention

• Ban on halogenated flame retardants in the back cover and stand

• Marking of plastics and cadmium content

• Repair and recycling requirements

Weaknesses

• Small displays integrated into other products should have been made easier to dismantle

• Limited ambition on signage displays

• Limited repair provisions included, especially on spare parts

Read more

• Final Ecodesign text is available here.

Domestic dishwashers

The revised Ecodesign and Energy Label rules are set to enter into force on 1 March 2021 and trigger 2,1 TWh of electricity savings and estimated water savings of 16 million m3 per year by 2030.

What we like

• Resource efficiency requirements to prolong the lifetime of products through easier repair – availability of spare parts, maximum delivery time and access to repair and maintenance information

• Rules preventing circumvention

• Slightly better efficiency level for larger appliances as of March 2024

• Restrictions for the use of programme names such as normal/daily/standard/regular that could encourage consumers not to use the “eco” programme

Weaknesses

• Lack of ambition to improve the energy efficiency of dishwashers

• Repair provisions are too limited – information and the majority of spare parts are to be made available only to professional repairers

• Bundling of parts is allowed

• Compliance is tested in the most efficient programme, not necessarily representative of real-life use

Read more

• Final Ecodesign text is available here.

Please note that measures are being released one by one by the European Commission, and so this page will be regularly updated in the coming weeks.