(1)

The Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019 (2) drawn up by the Commission sets out the working priorities under the ecodesign and energy labelling framework for the period 2016–2019. The Working Plan identifies energy-related product groups as priorities for preparatory studies and, if necessary, adoption of implementing measures. That includes household tumble dryers. Furthermore, household tumble dryers fall into the three main groups earmarked for review before the end of 2025 by the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 (3).

(2)

The measures envisaged by the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 have an estimated potential to deliver, in 2030, a total annual final energy savings in excess of 170 TWh, which is equivalent to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 24 million tonnes per year in 2030. For household tumble dryers, electricity savings of 0,6 TWh/year could potentially be achieved by 2030 and 1,7 TWh/year by 2040.

(3)

The Commission laid down provisions on the energy labelling of household tumble dryers in Delegated Regulation (EU) No 392/2012 (4).

(4)

Household tumble dryers are among the product groups covered by Article 11(4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 for which the Commission is to adopt a delegated act to introduce an A to G rescaled label, to be displayed in shops and online 18 months after the date of entry into force of the delegated act.

(5)

Article 7 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 392/2012 requires the Commission to review that Delegated Regulation in the light of technological progress. The Commission has carried out the review and analysed technical, environmental and economic aspects of tumble dryers as well as real-life user behaviour. The review was undertaken in close cooperation with stakeholders and interested parties from the Union and third countries. The results of the review were made public and presented to the Consultation Forum established in accordance with Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1369.

(6)

The review concluded that there was a need to amend the energy labelling requirements for household tumble dryers.

(7)

The environmental aspects of household tumble dryers, identified as significant for the purposes of this Regulation, are the consumption of energy in the use phase, the generation of waste at the end of life, emissions to air in the production phase due to the extraction and processing of raw materials, and in the use phase due to the consumption of electricity.

(8)

The review concludes that the electricity consumption of household tumble dryers can be further reduced by implementing energy labelling measures which focus on differentiating better between products. This will incentivise suppliers to further improve the energy and resource efficiency of household tumble dryers.

(9)

The energy labelling of household tumble dryers enables consumers to make informed choices for more energy- and resource-efficient appliances. The information on the label was confirmed as understandable and relevant through a specific consumer survey in accordance with Article 14(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1369.

(10)

The EU action plan for the circular economy (5) and the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 underline the importance of using the ecodesign and energy labelling framework to support the move towards a more resource efficient and circular economy.

(11)

The review found that the lifetime of household tumble dryers has decreased from 14 years to around 12 years, and that that trend is likely to continue in the absence of incentives to properly maintain and repair household tumble dryers. A reparability score informing the user how easy it is to repair a household tumble dryer, could be a means to reduce material use and waste disposal by raising consumer’s interest about the possibility to repair their tumble dryer instead of scrapping it, and by influencing product design. In addition, a reparability score applicable in the Union could prevent the proliferation of national schemes, which would risk undermining the internal market. The Commission should therefore analyse the possibilities for a reparability score.

(12)

Multi-drum household tumble dryers feature the same basic characteristics as standard household tumble dryers and should therefore be included in the scope of this Regulation.

(13)

Built-in household tumble dryers are encased by panels that retain the heat produced inside the tumble dryer, leading to higher energy efficiency. The definition of built-in household tumble dryers should be improved in order to distinguish them from other household tumble dryers that are simply placed under a panel but are not encased by panels, and therefore do not feature that additional means of retaining heat.

(14)

Household tumble dryers that are displayed at trade fairs should bear the energy label if the first unit of the model has already been placed on the market or is placed on the market at the trade fair.

(15)

Tumble dryers powered by batteries which can also be connected to the mains through an AC/DC converter purchased separately, are normally installed in mobile environments such as motorhomes and are not intended for use in households. Those tumble dryers should therefore be excluded from the scope of the requirements on energy labelling.

(16)

The Union market is now electric and gas-fired tumble dryers are increasingly rare. Therefore, the energy label can be simplified by removing the icon depicting the energy source powering the household tumble dryer.

(17)

The review indicates that the vast majority of household tumble dryers feature condensation efficiencies above 80 %. The number of condensation efficiency classes in the label can therefore be reduced and their thresholds raised to better reflect the overall improvement of the market in terms of condensation efficiency.

(18)

The energy label in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) No 392/2012 shows the acoustic airborne noise emission from household tumble dryers in dB(A), but no noise classes have been defined. The user is therefore presented with an absolute value with no indication of how good that value is. Noise emission classes have already been included on the labels for washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators. It is therefore appropriate to define such emission classes and to include them on the labels for household tumble dryers.

(19)

The relevant product parameters should be measured using reliable, accurate and reproducible methods. Those methods should take into account recognised state-of-the-art measurement methods including, where available, harmonised standards adopted by the European standardisation bodies, listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6).

(20)

Recognising the growth of sales of energy-related products through providers of online platforms, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7), rather than directly from suppliers’ websites, it should be clarified that such providers of online platforms should enable traders to provide information concerning the labelling of the product concerned, in compliance with Article 31(2) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. The ‘information concerning the labelling and marking’ referred to in Article 31(2), point (c) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 should, in the context of this Regulation, be understood as encompassing both the energy label and the product information sheet. In line with Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, providers of online platforms are not liable for products sold through their interfaces on the condition that they do not have actual knowledge of the illegality of such products and upon receiving knowledge on the illegality of the products they act expeditiously to remove them from their interfaces. A supplier selling directly to end-users via its own website is covered by dealers’ distance selling obligations referred to in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1369.

(21)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/807 (8) establishes a primary energy factor for electricity of 1,9 (conversion coefficient) to be applied when energy savings are calculated in primary energy terms based on final energy consumption. This primary energy factor should be applied when comparing the energy consumption for electric and gas-fired tumble dryers.

(22)

The verification procedure for market surveillance purposes should provide for cases where tests performed on household tumble dryers do not reach the adequate final moisture content.

(23)

Delegated Regulation (EU) No 392/2012 should be repealed with effect from 30 June 2025,

(1)

‘mains’ means the electricity supply from the grid of 230 (± 10 %) volts of alternating current at 50 Hz;

(2)

‘household tumble dryer’ means an appliance in which laundry is dried by tumbling in a rotating drum through which heated air is passed and which is declared by the manufacturer in the declaration of conformity as complying with Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (10) or with Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (11);

(3)

‘built-in household tumble dryer’ means a household tumble dryer that is designed, tested and marketed exclusively to comply with all the following characteristics:

(4)

‘household washer-dryer’ means an appliance as defined in Article 2, point (4), of Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 (12);

(5)

‘household spin-extractor’ means an appliance in which water is removed from the laundry by centrifugal action in a rotating drum and drained through an automatic pump or by gravity and which is designed to be used principally for non-professional purposes and is also commercially known as ‘spin-dryer’;

(6)

‘programme’ means a series of operations that are pre-defined and which are declared by the supplier as suitable for drying certain types of textile;

(7)

‘point of sale’ means a location where household tumble dryers are displayed or offered for sale, hire or hire-purchase;

(8)

‘multi-drum household tumble dryer’ means a household tumble dryer equipped with more than one drum, whether in separate units or in the same casing.

(a)

each household tumble dryer, at the point of sale, including at trade fairs, bears the label provided by suppliers in accordance with point (a) of Article 3(1), with the label being displayed for built-in appliances in such a way as to be clearly visible, and for all other appliances in such a way as to be clearly visible on the outside on the front or top of the household tumble dryer;

(b)

in the event of distance selling, the label and product information sheet are provided in accordance with Annexes VII and VIII;

(c)

any visual advertisement for a specific model of household tumble dryer, including on the internet, contains the energy efficiency class and the range of energy efficiency classes available on the label, in accordance with Annex VII;

(d)

any technical promotional material concerning a specific model of household tumble dryer, including technical promotional material on the internet, which describes its specific technical parameters includes the energy efficiency class of that model and the range of energy efficiency classes available on the label, in accordance with Annex VII.