Legislation
ErP Directive labelling: what you should know
With the latest installment of the ErP Directive coming into force for the water heating sector later this month, we spoke to Redring Xpelair’s Strategic Marketing Director, Steve Holton (pictured), to discuss the impact this legislation will have on the UK’s electrical wholesalers.
This includes electric showers, instantaneous
water heaters, instant hand wash units, instant electric hot water taps and electric boilers. Exempt from the legislation are water heaters used for making food and/or hot drinks only. Therefore, beverage boilers and boiling water taps are not affected.
What is the ErP Directive and when and why is it being introduced? ErP stands for the Energy-related Products Directive, which is a piece of EU legislation initiated in 2009, designed to help member states achieve Brussels’ 20-20-20 energy targets. The desired result is to reduce Europe’s collective emissions output by 20% and increase the contribution of renewable energy to 20% by the year 2020. A large part of this initiative has been the
‘ecodesign’ focus, encouraging manufacturers to improve the efficiency of products by setting minimum energy performance criteria. The other significant aspect is mandatory energy labelling, developed to inform buyers about a product’s energy efficiency. On September 26th, the legislation comes into
force for the water heating product category. Water Heating energy labels have an efficiency rating on a scale of A to G. Packages of Water Heater combined with a Solar Device carry a label on a scale A+++ to G.
Which products does the latest phase of the ErP Directive apply to? The ecodesign and energy labelling regulations apply to any water heaters with a rated heat output of less than or equal to 70 kW, hot water storage tanks with a storage volume of less than or equal to 500 litres, and packages of water heater less than or equal to 70 kW and a solar device.
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How is this connected to the energy labels already in place on other products such as domestic appliances? There are several ‘Lots’ within the ErP Directive
and water heating products are part of ‘Lot 2’. The regulations and energy labels have already been applied to domestic appliances such as fridges, TVs, washing machines and air conditioning units in previous ‘Lots’, so branch staff, contractors and consumers should be familiar with them already.
What will the regulations mean for electrical wholesalers? Electrical wholesalers will be expected to comply with a number of aspects of the regulations. The energy labels on electric showers and other water heating products must feature within branch product displays. The energy class must also be used alongside any energy-related information within advertising, brochures, catalogues, user manuals and online materials. This applies to marketing materials produced by both manufacturers and wholesalers.
How is the legislation expected to affect sales of electric water heating products? Experience in other product categories has shown that labelling significantly alters buyer behaviour to favour more energy efficient products. The effect of the ErP Directive on sales of instantaneous electric water heating products is expected to be particularly positive, as these products are naturally energy efficient, heating
only the amount of water required at the point of use, to minimise the amount of energy required.
How should suppliers have prepared for the legislation? Suppliers must provide the relevant technical information as well as supply an Energy Label in the prescribed format. Products that do not have this information and/or do not meet minimum energy performance criteria will not be able to carry a CE mark and be sold within the EU. Good suppliers will also have informed electrical wholesalers about the new regulations andhow this impacts on the products they stock. Redring has invested considerably to prepare
for the ErP Directive and is thrilled to have achieved the highest A rating for the entire range of Redring and Galaxy electric showers. Also achieving the highest A class ratings are all Redring Powerstream instantaneous water heaters, instant hand wash units and instant electric hot water taps. The breadth of A-rating results demonstrates
Redring’s commitment to leading the field in energy efficiency and innovation. It is very important to us that we go above and beyond to help realise the EU’s targets and create additional sales opportunities for our wholesale partners.
How should suppliers help electrical wholesalers comply with the new requirements? Suppliers should be working closely with electrical wholesalers to make the move to energy rated products as seamless as possible. All Redring electric water heating products shipped after 26th September will have updated user manuals and will feature the relevant energy labels. We will also be supplying compliant energy labels for existing display items in time for the regulations being implemented.
www.redring.co.uk September 2015 electrical wholesaler | 37
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