Energy label

A couple of years ago the EU decided to introduce energy labels in order to reduce the energy consumption in Europe. While on the private market energy labels have long been in use, soon the energy label will also be gradually introduced to the professional market. On the 1st of July, 2016, the first phase will take effect and the energy label will become obligatory for refrigeration and freezer equipment on the professional market.

But what does this mean for your company? To summarise it briefly, only appliances with a low energy consumption can be sold, and they will have to be provided with an energy label containing information about their energy consumption. 

To which appliances do the new rules apply? 

During the first phase the energy label will be introduced for refrigeration and freezer equipment. However, the energy label will not be obligatory for all refrigeration and freezer appliances. Initially the energy label will be introduced for (blast) refrigerators and freezers with a storage function for food products. This means that the energy label is not obligatory for appliances with a display function, like glass door refrigerators, showcases, chest freezers, and saladettes.

Also, the regulation only applies to appliances with a forced or ventilated cooling system. This means that appliances that are purely static and do not use a supporting ventilator are also exempt from the regulation. The refrigerator and freezer units that are used in our cells do not need to be provided with an energy label either.

Additionally, there are more conditions to determine whether an appliance is outside the scope of the regulation. Please contact us if you have doubts or if this applies to your products. We will gladly clarify this to you.

What will change on the 1st of July, 2016?

On the 1st of July the appliances will have to comply with the EU standards in relation to energy consumption. This will not have any consequences for the appliances of Combisteel. All appliances meet the requirements and can be sold as usual. We will provide the appliances with energy labels with a value from A to G, where A is the most energy efficient. In the user manual extra information will be included with regard to energy consumption.

This concerns, for example, the type of cooling agent, the global-warming potential (GWP), the net volume in litres, and the kWh value per year.  All this information will be made available on our website and will be accessible for dealers with a login. 

Comparing energy labels

With the introduction of the energy label, appliances will be compared more. It is important that this is done while using the correct facts. Always pay attention to whether appliances have been tested in the same climate class. The climate classes represent the ambient temperature in which the appliances were tested. The same appliance with label A in class 3 will no longer have label A if it is tested in class 4. Our appliances are usually tested in climate class 4, with an ambient temperature of 30°C, and some even in class 5. 

In the time to come we will gradually carry through these changes and the energy labels will become visible on our website. We understand that it will take time to get used to and that some things may still be unclear. If there are any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.