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Household appliances: energy consumption labelling (until 2011)

The European Union (EU) harmonises national measures relating to the publication of information on the consumption of energy and of other essential resources by household appliances, thereby allowing consumers to choose appliances on the basis of their energy efficiency.

ACT

Council Directive 92/75/EEC of 22 September 1992 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by household appliances [See amending acts].

SUMMARY

The Directive applies to the following types of household appliances, even where these are sold for non-household uses:

  • refrigerators, freezers and their combinations;
  • washing machines, dryers and their combinations;
  • dishwashers;
  • ovens;
  • water heaters and hot-water storage appliances;
  • lighting sources;
  • air-conditioning appliances.

Household appliances offered for sale, hire or hire-purchase must be accompanied by a fiche and a label providing information relating to their consumption of energy (electrical or other) or of other essential resources.

The supplier must establish technical documentation sufficient to enable the accuracy of the information contained in the label and the fiche to be assessed. This documentation must include:

  • a general description of the product;
  • the results of design calculations, where necessary;
  • test reports;
  • where values are derived from those obtained for similar models, the same information for these models.

The supplier shall make this documentation available for inspection purposes for a period ending five years after the last product has been manufactured.

Suppliers must provide:

  • a free label, to be attached to the appliance by the dealer in the appropriate position and in the appropriate language version;
  • a product fiche, contained in all the brochures relating to the product or, where these are not provided, in all other literature provided with the appliance.

Suppliers are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the labels and fiches that they supply and are deemed to have given their consent to the publication of the information.

Where appliances are offered for sale, hire or hire-purchase by catalogue or by other means whereby the potential customer is unable to see the appliance displayed, the essential information contained in the label or fiche must be provided to the potential customer before purchase.

Information on airborne noise, integrated into Directive 2005/32/EC, and other public information relating to the appliance in question and provided pursuant to other Community legislation, must be included on the label or fiche.

Member States must take the necessary measures to:

  • ensure that all suppliers and dealers established in their territory fulfil their obligations under this Directive;
  • prohibit the display of labels, marks, symbols or inscriptions relating to energy consumption which do not comply with the requirements of this Directive and which are likely to cause confusion, with the exception of Community or national environmental labels;
  • launch educational and promotional information campaigns aimed at encouraging more responsible use of energy by private consumers.

Where Member States have grounds for suspecting that the information contained in labels or fiches is incorrect, they may require suppliers to provide evidence.

The Commission is assisted by an advisory committee.

The Directives adopted in implementation of the present Directive must specify:

  • the exact definition of the type of appliances to be included;
  • the measurement standards and methods to be used in obtaining the information relating to energy consumption;
  • details of the technical documentation required;
  • the design and content of the label;
  • the location where the label shall be fixed to the appliance;
  • the content and where appropriate the format of the fiche, on which must be included the information appearing on the label;
  • the information details to be provided in the case of mail-order offers for sale.

This Directive cancels Directive 79/530/EEC.

References

Act

Entry into force - Date of expiry

Deadline for transposition in the Member States

Official Journal

Directive 92/75/EEC

2.10.1992

1.7.1993

OJ L 297 of 13.10.1992

Amending act(s)

Entry into force

Deadline for transposition in the Member States

Official Journal

Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003

20.11.2003

-

OJ L 284 of 31.10.2003

Regulation (EC) n° 1137/2008

11.12.2008

-

OJ L 311 of 21.11.2008

RELATED ACTS

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2008 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related products [COM(2008) 778 final – Non published in the Official Journal]. The Commission proposes a recast of Directive 92/75/EEC and an extension of its scope, currently restricted to household appliances, to all energy-related products, excluding means of transport. The Commission defines energy-related products as those having an impact on energy consumption during use. The Commission also proposes that products which do not comply with minimum requirements in terms of energy efficiency should not be eligible for public procurement or incentives. The recast of the Energy Labelling Directive is among the priorities of the Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan presented by the Commission in June 2008.

Codecision Procedure (COD/2008/0222)

Implementing rules

Commission Directive 2003/66/EC (energy labelling of household electric refrigerators, freezers and their combinations) [Official Journal L 170 of 9.7.2003].

Commission Directive 2002/40/EC (energy labelling of household electric ovens) [Official Journal L 128 of 15.5.2002].

Commission Directive 2002/31/EC (energy labelling of household air-conditioners) [Official Journal L 86 of 3.4.2002].

Commission Directive 1999/9/EC (energy labelling of household dishwashers) [Official Journal L 56 of 4.3.1999].

Commission Directive 98/11/EC (energy labelling of household lamps) [Official Journal L 71 of 10.3.1998].

Commission Directive 96/60/EC (energy labelling of household combined washer-dryers) [Official Journal L 266 of 18.10.1996].

Commission Directive 95/13/EC (energy labelling of household electric tumble dryers) [Official Journal L 136 of 21.6.1995].

Commission Directive 95/12/EC (energy labelling of household washing machines) [Official Journal L 136 of 21.6.1995]. Amended by Directive 96/89/EC – [Official Journal L 388, 28.12.1996].

Energy Efficiency

Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 establishing a framework for the settings of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products and amending Council Directive 92/42/EEC and Directives 96/57/EC and 2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council [Official Journal L 191 of 22.7.2005].

Regulation (EC) No 2422/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on a Community energy efficiency labelling programme for office equipment [Official Journal L 332 of 15.12.2001].

Communications in the framework of the implementation

Commission communication (energy labelling of household air-conditioners - Publication of titles and references of harmonised standards under the Directive) [Official Journal C 115 of 30.4.2004].

Commission communication (energy labelling of household combined washer-driers) [Official Journal C 161 of 28.5.1997].

Commission communication (energy labelling of household electric refrigerators, freezers and their combinations) [Official Journal C 065 of 1.3.1997].

Commission communication (energy labelling of household washing machines)[Official Journal C 312 of 23.11.1995].

Commission communication (energy labelling of household electric tumble driers) [Official Journal C 312 of 23.11.1995].

Last updated: 22.12.2008

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