Ecodesign requirements — electric motors and variable speed drives

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2019/1781 laying down ecodesign requirements for electric motors and variable speed drives

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

The regulation establishes ecodesign* requirements for the placing on the market or putting into service of electric motors* and variable speed drives (VSD)*, including where they are integrated in other products.

KEY POINTS

The regulation applies to:

induction electric motors without brushes, commutators, slip rings or electrical connections to the rotor, rated for operation on a 50 Hz, 60 Hz or 50/60 Hz sinusoidal voltage, that
- have 2, 4, 6 or 8 poles
- have a rated voltage above 50 V and up to and including 1,000 V
- have a rated power output from 0.12 kW up to and including 1,000 kW
- are rated on the basis of continuous duty operation and
- are rated for direct online operation;
VSDs with a 3-phase input that
- are rated for operating with a motor referred to above, within the 0.12 kW-1,000 kW motor rated output range
- have a rated voltage above 100 V and up to and including 1,000 V AC and
- have only 1 AC voltage output.

Some types of equipment designed to operate in certain conditions are exempt from some of the energy efficiency and product information requirements, such as:

motors or VSDs completely integrated into a product (e.g. into a gear, pump, fan or compressor) and whose energy performance cannot be tested independently;
motors specifically designed to operate exclusively at high altitudes or in extreme temperatures;
motors specifically designed and specified to operate wholly immersed in a liquid;
motors or VSDs specifically qualified for the safety of nuclear installations;
explosion-protected motors specifically designed and certified for mining;
motors in cordless or battery-operated equipment;
motors in handheld equipment whose weight is supported by hand during operation;
motors in hand-guided mobile equipment moved while in operation;
motors placed on the market before 1 July 2029 as substitutes for identical motors integrated in products placed on the market before 1 July 2021 for motors referred to in Annex I(1)(a), and before 1 July 2023 for motors referred to in Annex I(1)(b), and specifically marketed as such (see Amending Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/341);
motors designed specifically for the traction of electric vehicles.

The regulation:

sets out a timetable in Annex I for the introduction of ecodesign requirements (initially 1 July 2021, with further requirements being introduced from 1 July 2022 and from 1 July 2023). These cover
- energy efficiency of electrical motors
- product information requirements for electrical motors
- efficiency and product information requirements for VSDs;
sets out the conformity assessment procedure, and in Annex II the measurement methods and calculations that must be followed.

National authorities must apply the verification procedures laid down in Annex III when carrying out market surveillance checks.

Annex IV sets out benchmarks based on the best available technology for motors and VSDs for the environmental aspects considered significant and quantifiable. For motors, the IE4 level was identified as the best available technology.

The Commission must review the regulation in the light of technological progress and present the results of this assessment, including, if appropriate, a draft revision proposal, to the Consultation Forum no later than 14 November 2023.

The regulation amends Regulation (EC) No 641/2009 and repeals Regulation (EC) No 640/2009.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 1 July 2021. Certain obligations with respect to circumvention and software updates and the amendments to Regulation (EC) No 641/2009 have applied since 14 November 2019.

BACKGROUND

Directive 2009/125/EC establishes a framework to set ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. The Commission must set these for products which are widely sold and traded in the EU and have a significant environmental impact.

The WEEE directive sets requirements on the recovery and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to reduce the negative environmental effects of generating and managing WEEE, and of the use of resources.

For more information, see:

Electric motors and variable speed drives (European Commission)
About the energy label and ecodesign (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Ecodesign: a policy to improve, through better design, products’ environmental performance throughout their life cycle, especially their energy efficiency.

Electric motor: a device that converts electrical input power into mechanical output power in the form of a rotation with a rotational speed and torque that depends on factors including the frequency of the supply voltage and number of poles of the motor.

Variable speed drive (VSD): an electronic power converter that continuously adapts the electrical power supplied to a single motor to control the motor’s mechanical power output according to the torque-speed characteristic of the load driven by the motor, by adjusting the power supply to a variable frequency and voltage supplied to the motor. It includes all electronics connected between the mains and the motor including extensions such as protection devices, transformers and auxiliaries.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1781 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for electric motors and variable speed drives pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, amending Regulation (EC) No 641/2009 with regard to ecodesign requirements for glandless standalone circulators and glandless circulators integrated in products and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 640/2009 (OJ L 272, 25.10.2019, pp. 74-94)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/1781 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

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