Energy Labels

Consumers drive competition

Energy labels make it simple for consumer to choose products that save money and energy. Companies have to innovate and supply more and more energy efficient products to keep a competitive advantage.

No more A+, A++, A+++

The EU decided in 2017 to go back to the original energy labels using only a scale with letters from A to G.
Uniform labels for all product groups lead to a greater understanding among consumers. Different energy label variants appeared in previous years. A+++, A++ and A+ were added for products where "A" was not good enough or the lower classes (E, F, G) were removed. It became impossible for consumers to compare labels across product groups and to understand what all the energy classes and labels actually meant.
The new rules are laid down in energy labelling framework Regulation (EU) 2017/1369.

Just 14 working days

It is important to have a short time period between the introduction of new energy labels and the phasing out of the old ones. Existing labels in stores and webshops must be replaced with the new rescaled labels within 14 working days. The stores and webshops shall not display the rescaled labels before those 14 days have started.
The actual starting date and phase out period of the label change is mentioned in the product specific regulations.

Per 1 March 2021

The energy labels for household dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, wine storage cabinets, washing machines, washer- dryers, televisions and electronic displays will all change per 1 March 2021.
The change from old to new energy labels must be completed after this date within 14 working days.

Lamps follow later

The new energy labels for light sources will change per 1 September 2021. In this case the transition period is no less than 18 months. In the new energy label regulation luminaires are exempted from labelling obligations.
The new ecodesign and energy label regulations for lighting equipment include many changes, those are not covered by this Compliance Clip.

Future proof scale

Technological developments will lead to more updates of the energy classes; but the A to G scale will remain. The EU will introduce new energy labels when 30 % of the sold products are class A or 50 % belongs to classes A and B. The graphs below show how the energy classes for the same lamps will change after 1 September 2021. Lamps that now have an A+ label will then have a F or G label. It may take ten years until 10-15% of the lamps has an A energy class.

Product database EPREL

The obligation to enter information in the European Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) has existed since 1 January 2019. The database contains a public part for dealers and consumers and a private part for market surveillance. Details on registrations and the handy energy label generator can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy- climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/energy-label- and-ecodesign/product-database_en.

Easy direct access to the public part of the EPREL database is enabled by a mandatory quick response (QR) code that shall be included in the header of the energy label:

Information obligations

Suppliers shall ensure that each individual product is accompanied with accurate printed energy labels and with product information sheets. Dealers shall display the energy label at the point of sale (stores and websites) and provide the product information sheet upon request.

Involved products and regulations