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NEW EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE ENERGY RELATED PRODUCTS From 26 September 2015, many water heating products sold in the UK and other countries in the European Economic Area will need to meet minimum energy performance criteria and will have an energy label. Here Alan Clarke, Technical Support Manager at Heatrae Sadia, explains more. Getting ready The Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations for water heaters and hot water storage tanks were entered into the Official Journal of the European Union in September 2013. These ‘implementing measures’ of the Ecodesign requirements for the Energy related Products (ErP) Directive (2009/125/EC) and the Energy Labelling of ErP Directive (2010/30/EU), set out what the industry needs to do to become compliant with the new legislation from 26 September 2015. The Directive 2009/125/EC (commonly referred to as the ErP Directive) was put in place to help the EU achieve its 20-20-20 target – to reduce energy use by 20% and increase the share of renewable energies by 20% by 2020. It applies to energy related products sold in the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors in the European Economic Area and dozens of product groups, known as ‘Lots’, are being examined. From 26 September 2015, water heaters with a rated output of equal or below 400kW and storage tanks with a storage volume of up to 2,000 litres, will need to meet minimum energy performance criteria. Complementing and working in conjunction with Ecodesign, the Energy Labelling Directive will see water heaters with Alan Clarke outputs of up to 70kW and storage tanks with storage volumes of up to 500 litres, classified with an efficiency band (similar to that seen on white goods such as fridge freezers and washing machines). They will initially range from A to G, but eventually extend to A+++ (and G will be removed in September 2017). Conventional water heaters will have an A-G/F classification, while A+, A++ and A+++ will be reserved for products that use renewable energy. Manufacturers will be responsible for testing their products, supplying an appropriate label and providing a technical ‘fiche’ on the product’s efficiency. Compliance will be enforced through market surveillance, via the National Measurement Office (NMO). 20 Summer 2015 ETM
NEW EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE Product labels will need to show the energy efficiency band and will also include a tapping pattern, with the latter providing guidance on the size of property the water heater is suitable for. There are 10 tapping patterns, also known as size or load profiles, ranging from 3XS (small, single basin hand washing applications) to 4XL (high volume multi dwelling or commercial applications). For some groups of water heater, such as direct electric types, due to a fuel factor for the use of electricity being applied, all products are likely to achieve a very similar energy efficiency rating. Most domestic capacities will have a rating of C. To assist in differentiating product efficiencies other factors will need to be compared. The most useful is likely to be the volume of mixed hot water delivered at 40 o C (the V40 figure). However, these other factors will not be displayed on the energy efficiency label – instead, to obtain this information, reference will need to be made to the product’s technical fiche together with a number of other technical parameters. Manufacturers will make this information available in technical literature and on their websites. For all the detail that has been provided, at the time of writing there remain some issues that we believe need to be addressed before the directives are fully implemented. For instance, the Ecodesign tests assume that all water heating products store water at 60°C, but with a thermal store – where the water within a tank remains static and is used as the energy source for heating the mains pressure incoming water – water is kept at 80-85°C, as it needs to be hot enough to heat the incoming water. By its very design a thermal store will have higher heat losses than say a similarly sized unvented water heater, but currently the tests wouldn’t show this. This anomaly needs to be solved, as although they are niche, thermal stores are used in the UK and the rest of Europe. Another concern is how the Ecodesign and Labelling Directives will interrelate with Part L of the Building Regulations and SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure). It’s likely that future revisions of Part L will refer to the ErP regulations for minimum efficiencies and state the minimum classification for each type of water heater, but we look forward to some further guidance. All in all, the Ecodesign and Labelling Directives should be welcomed with open arms. They will ensure that only the most efficient water heaters are being manufactured, sold and installed. It will make it easier to choose the most efficient products – hence reducing the end user’s energy costs and carbon emissions. “ ” All in all, the Ecodesign and Labelling Directives should be welcomed with open arms. ETM Summer 2015 21
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