EU gets mixed scores on energy efficiency

While Europe’s appliance manufacturers are pushing for a numerical energy performance label and mandatory phase-outs of inefficient machines, EU member states are severely behind in implementing energy efficiency legislation, particularly in the buildings sector. 

From letters to numbers

CECED, the European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers, on 4 December unveiled what it considers to be a more ‘dynamic’ labelling scheme for energy-consuming appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

Arguing that further market evolution for energy efficient appliances is “dependent on political decisions”, CECED’s Director General Luigi Meli said that CECED member companies (which include appliance giants such as Electrolux) are hesitant to upgrade their production lines without ambitious EU legislation.

The companies want a new labelling scheme based on numbers, with the number 1 (colour-coded in red) representing the least efficient machine. Those machines currently rated ‘A’, ‘A+’ or ‘A++’ would subsequently be listed as 7 or 8, depending on the specific criteria of the scheme. 

CECED is also looking for a mandatory industry production phase-out of existing ‘B’ rated appliances by 2009, and a phase-out of ‘A’ rated machines by 2013. The production ban should also apply to imported appliances, Meli said.

The Commission has apparently reacted favourably to the proposal, according to CECED, but the EU executive remains vague about the content of future plans to revise exisiting labelling schemes. 

59 infringements

The Commission has issued a volley of infringement proceedings – 59 in total – against member states for their failure to properly implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the directive on Eco-design requirements for energy using products (EuP).  

For the buildings sector, real and perceived high costs, lack of technical skills and expertise, conflicting national measures and low public acceptance explain why 20 EU member states have yet to implement the EPBD, according to Ursula Hartenberger of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Hartenberger, who is behind a new report on the implementation of the EPBD, told EURACTIV that even in countries like Germany, which leads the way in ‘green buildings’, transposition of the EPBD created enormous complexity and many building owners are confused about what is required of them.

MEP Fiona Hall, author of an upcoming Industry (ITRE) Committee report on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, told EURACTIV that many member state authorities are over-stretched and/or unwilling to adopt necessary measures for buildings. 

In the Czech Republic, for example, large and inefficient Soviet-era apartment block-style buildings were simply excluded during the transposition of EPBD requirements into national law.

‘Extraordinary’ waste

A recent Ecofys study commissioned by Eurima found that member state requirements for U-values, which indicate the rate of heat transferred through windows, walls or insulation materials, are identical for new and existing buildings. 

“In almost all cases, current national standards across Europe for wall, roof and floor insulation are not in line either with what would be cost-effective or deliver the EU’s long term climate objectives”, according to Eurima.

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