On Tuesday 2 April, the European Commission launched a new web portal to make information on the energy efficiency of household products and appliances more accessible to the public. It has also adopted new rules to better guarantee the quality of online information on products with an energy label.
According to new estimates published at the end of March, EU ecodesign and energy labelling policies reduced annual consumer spending by almost €90 billion in 2022. This figure could rise to €150 billion a year by 2030.
In addition to providing information to citizens on the ecodesign and energy labelling rules for household appliances, the Commission’s new web portal provides information to manufacturers, importers and retailers on how to comply with the rules, including the registration of all labelled products in the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL).
Under the new rules for implementing EPREL (regulation EU/2024/994), suppliers will have to prove their identity and that they are established in the EU by using the EU’s electronic identification and trust services (eIDAS) when uploading information. In particular, these rules ensure that labelled products sold online or in shops by retailers are correctly registered and labelled, in the interests of consumers.
Finally, the European Commission welcomes the fact that in recent years, EU minimum requirements and consumer information through energy labelling have been a major driver for innovation and improvements in product efficiency by manufacturers.
The recently updated estimates in the ‘Ecodesign Impact Accounting Overview Report 2023’ show that each household reportedly saved an average of €290 in 2022 (estimated at €475 per year per household in 2030) compared to a scenario with no ecodesign or labelling.
To see the web portal: https://aeur.eu/f/bl5
To see the new EPREL rules: https://aeur.eu/f/bl6
To see the ‘Ecodesign Impact Accounting Overview Report 2023’: https://aeur.eu/f/bl7 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)