The EU needs to decrease its energy use by a third to 2020. Time is tight to cut down on energy use for the most power-hungry appliances in our homes and workplaces. But there are many things on the EU agenda which may collide, thereby possibly postponing legislation.
Right now, plans are long gone in legislating on ecodesign requirements for more product groups within the scope of the Ecodesign directive. The directive used to be for energy-using products, but will in future also comprise those products that have an indirect effect on energy usage. By opening up for products like windows and water taps, the Commission has paved the way for the whole construction sector to be covered. Until 2012 at least, when the old discussions will be taken up about allowing all kinds of products to be covered by the umbrella of ecodesign requirements.
Problems for boilers and heaters
At the moment, manufacturers of products used for heating and chilling residences face problems. Appliances such as boilers, heaters and air-conditioners belong to product groups (LOTs) which will be legislated upon in so-called Implementing measures. But it may prove tricky to determine to which LOT a product belongs because many heaters/boilers/air-conditioners can be used in multiple ways.
“Further, one product may belong to one or more groups as they have components or functions which are covered by the other Implementing measures”, says Carlos Lopés of the Swedish Energy Agency.
Insecure timeplan
The legislation is needed. Europeans often think that we lead the way in all areas of environment legislation. But in for example air-conditioning, we lag behind the USA and Asian nations.
Right now there are preliminary discussions about three groups of products in a preminary working document. The proposal before the Commission about LOTs 1 (Combiboilers), 2 (Dedicated water-heaters) and 10 (Air-conditioners) are planned to be up for vote in the Commission in spring 2010. But this may change.
There is a lot of dedication among the Union’s lawmakers to enforce legislation at the moment, so if they run into obstacles along the legislative procedure, they work on another product group instead. So the Implementing measures for one anticipated product group may be coming up later, or sooner, than expected.
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