Legal
Eco - design rules
A European directive to regulate ‘energy using’ products will
have a major impact on hardware specified by building services
professionals and on their design decisions. Hywel Davies explains
T
he directive on energy using products, known systems, electric and fossil-fuelled heating equipment,
as EuP, provides EU-wide rules for the ‘eco- transformers and water-using equipment are
design’ of a wide range of energy using included. Network, data processing and data storing
products very commonly used in buildings. equipment and refrigerating and freezing equipment
The directive aims to improve the environmental are also included, which may have implications for
performance of products by addressing environmental services in buildings.
aspects at a very early stage in product design. It For each product group the commission will develop
is also intended to promote the free movement of a clear, legal, unambiguous
products by harmonising such requirements across definition of the product; market
the whole of the EU. analysis to check that at least
The directive does not directly introduce binding 200,000 units a year are sold; a Discussions are
requirements for particular products (or groups study of how the product is used
now taking place
of products). Instead, it provides a framework of and what happens at its life-end;
conditions and criteria for setting requirements analysis of materials/processes on amending and extending
that address environmentally relevant product used in production, distribution
the directive to cover a
characteristics. To be included, products must have a and usage; assessment of
significant environmental impact and volume of trade whether the product has wider range of products,
in the internal market, and a clear potential for cost- significant environmental
including those that do
effective improvement. impact; identification of ‘best
Some 57 product groups are potentially covered by available technology’ to inform not use energy
the EuP, many of them common pieces of building design options; identification of
themselves
services hardware, so it will have significant impact on design options for improving
the products available to building services engineers, environmental performance;
and on their design decisions. and analysis of options to
The requirements themselves are set out in a series achieve potential product improvements. The result
For the full text of The
of ‘implementing measures’. The initial programme will be new requirements for products to achieve CE
Eco-design for Energy Using
covers 20 product groups, from vacuum cleaners marking. Products Regulations 2007
and imaging equipment to boilers, water heaters Boilers, for example, are likely to have to achieve an
go to: http://www.opsi.
and lighting of various sorts. For each group the efficiency of 96 per cent by 2013, and should “only be
gov.uk/si/si2007/pdf/
uksi_20072037_en.pdf
commission undertook an initial study to establish installed if the heating system also includes controls
the market size, environmental impact and potential and other components which bring the overall energy
For more information about
for improvement. heating system efficiency rating above 96 per cent”. practical implementation
The products most relevant to building services This will affect not only product manufacturers, but
of the EuP Directive, go to
in this first phase are: boilers, including combis; also system designers and the installers. It will also
the Market Transformation
Programme website, http://
water heaters; standby and off-mode functions on have an impact on the guidance and training required
www.mtprog.com/cms/eup/
equipment; battery chargers and external power across the industry.
supplies; lighting for both domestic and office Initial discussions are now taking place on For the latest details of the
premises; residential air conditioning and ventilation; amending and extending the directive to cover a wider
European Commission
electric motors up to 150kW; water pump circulators range of products, to possibly include insulation
action plan for Energy Using
Products go to http://
in buildings and ventilation fans – non-residential; products or double-glazed windows. l
eur-lex.europa.eu/
and solid fuel small combustion installations.
LexUriServ/LexUriServ.
The commission has now published a ‘first working do?uri=COM:2008:0660:
Hywel Davies is technical director of CIBSE
plan’, under which air-conditioning and ventilation
FIN:EN:PDF
22 CIBSE Journal March 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmar09 pp22 legal.indd 22 3/5/09 1:35:03 PM
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