MEMO/09/349
Brussels, 22 July 2009
Package of four ecodesign regulations to improve the energy performance of motors, circulators, televisions, refrigerators and freezers
Energy savings: Commission adopts four ecodesign regulations for electric motors, circulators, TV,s, and fridges/freezers. The package will save annually about 190 TWh electricity by 2020, which corresponds to the combined annual electricity consumption of Sweden and Austria.
Under the four ecodesign regulations the affected products will not be allowed to consume more than a certain amount of energy. The timing of the requirements is as follows.
Ecodesign requirements for electric motors
| Application date | Energy Efficiency level |
| 16 July 2011 | IE2 for 0.75-375kW |
| 1 January 2015 | IE3 or IE2 if equipped with VSD 1 for 7.5-375kW |
| 1 January 2017 | IE3 or IE2 if equipped with VSD for 0.75-375kW |
This implies that low-efficiency motors (IE1 and below) may no longer be placed on the market as of 16 June 2011. As of 2015, standard efficiency IE2 motors in the power range of 7.5–375kW may be sold only if equipped with a variable speed drive. As of 2017, the same requirement will apply to motors in power range 0.75–7.5kW. Alternatively, high-efficiency IE3 motors may be sold with or without variable speed drives.
Ecodesign requirements for circulators
| Application date | Energy Efficiency Index ( EEI) |
| 1 January 2013 | EEI ≤ 0.27 Scope: (glandless 2 ) standalone circulators, with the exception of those specifically designed for primary circuits of thermal solar systems and of heat pumps. |
| 1 July 2015 | EEI ≤ 0.23 (Glandless) standalone circulators and (glandless) circulators integrated in products, e.g. in boilers. |
This implies that as of 2012, low-efficiency and standard standalone circulators cannot be placed on the market any more. As of 2015, the minimum requirements will be tightened further and their scope broadend to boiler integrated circulators too.
Ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances
| Application date | Energy Efficiency Index ( EEI) |
| 1 July 2010 | EEI < 55 i.e. equivalent to removing current classes B,C and below |
| 1 July 2012 | EEI < 44 i.e. equivalent to removing the majority of current class A and below (only the most efficient current A class as well as current classes A+ and above will remain) |
| 1 July 2014 | EEI < 42 i.e. only current classes A+ and above will remain |
Ecodesign requirements for TVs
Stage 1 : 20 August 2010
| On-mode power consumption of "full HD" resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) TVs: | On-mode power consumption of TVs with all other resolutions: |
| 20 Watts + A ∙ 1.12 ∙ 4.3224 Watts/dm 2 | 20 Watts + A ∙ 4.3224 Watts/dm 2 |
This means: Only TVs with energy efficiency better than the current average can be placed on the market (A is the screen area of the television, expressed in dm 2).
Stage 2: 1 April 2012
| On-mode power consumption, all resolutions: |
| 16 Watts + A ∙ 3.4579 Watts/dm 2 |
This means: Only TVs with an energy efficiency at least 20% better than the current average can be placed on the market (corresponding to energy efficiency class "C" or better in the new labelling system for TVs).
Furthermore, ambitious requirements for standby and off-mode power consumption are set in two stages, which apply from 7 January 2010 and 20 August 2011, respectively.
VSD (variable speed drive), also know as 'adjustable speed drive, control drive, frequency drive etc, is a device composed of electronics that allow the motor to run with lower speed when necessary (rather than running the motor with full speed and blocking e.g. an air/water flow with valves or the like).
Circulators are pumps used in heating systems either 'standalone' (outside boiler) or within the boiler. Glandless circulators are a specific type of pumps (compare e.g. with 'normal' water pumps that are (normally) glanded) having the shaft of the motor directly coupled to the impeller and the rotor is immersed in the pumped medium; hence they are sometimes referred to as ‘wet running’. The smaller sizes are mainly used in houses with just one family, and the larger sizes used in houses of multiple occupation, tertiary or industrial buildings.