EU Updates Guidance on Energy Labeling

Following instances where manufacturers have misused verification tolerances, as laid down in the delegated acts, the European Union (EU) has updated its guidance on energy labeling for manufacturers. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/254, published on February 15, 2017, seeks to clarify that verification tolerances set out in the delegated acts may only be used by Member State authorities for the purpose of verifying compliance.

Verification tolerances, stemming from the Commission Delegated Regulations adopted on the basis of Directive 2010/30/EU, were intended for use by market surveillance authorities. It was intended that these would help account for differences in measurement equipment used by suppliers and surveillance authorities across the EU. In this way, they would help guarantee fair competition and help realize the energy savings envisioned by the regulations.

Following their implementation, however, it was noted that some suppliers were using verification tolerances to establish the values required for technical documentation. They were also being used to interpret test results with a view to achieving better energy labeling classifications. In this way, manufacturers were hoping to suggest better performance results for their products.

The updated guidance on energy labeling, enshrined in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/254, seeks to clarify this situation and reinforces the original intentions of the Directive. To do this, it states:

• The values given in the technical documentation pursuant to Article 5(b) of Directive 2010/30/EU (declared values), and, where applicable, the values used to calculate these values, are not more favorable for the supplier than the corresponding values given in the test reports pursuant to point (iii) of the abovementioned Article
• The values published on the label and in the product fiche are not more favorable for the supplier than the declared values, and the indicated energy efficiency class is not more favorable for the supplier than the class determined by the declared values
• When the Member State authorities test the unit of the model, the determined values (the values of the relevant parameters as measured in testing and the values calculated from these measurements) comply with the respective verification tolerances

To see a full list of the Commission Delegated Regulations this relates to, view Safeguard 042/17.

SGS Electrical & Electronic Services
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SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Energy Labeling in EU Updated by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/254 SafeGuardS. (www.sgs.com/en/news/2017/03/safeguards-04217-energy-labeling-in-eu-updated-by-commission-delegated-regulation)

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For further information contact:

Sky Lin
Consumer and Retail (CRS) - Electrical & Electronics
Safety Laboratory
Tel: +86 757 2280 5935
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/ee

About SGS
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This release was published on openPR.