implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances

Having regard to Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products and amending Council Directive 92/42/EEC and Directives 96/57/EC and 2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), and in particular Article 15(1) thereof,

1. This Regulation establishes ecodesign requirements for the placing on the market of electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances with a storage volume up to 1 500 litres.

2. This Regulation shall apply to electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances, including those sold for non-household use or for the refrigeration of items other than foodstuffs.

It shall also apply to electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances that can be battery-operated.

In addition to the definitions set out in Directive 2005/32/EC, the following definitions shall apply:

Additional definitions for the purpose of Annexes II to VI are set out in Annex I.

The generic ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances within the scope of this Regulation are set out in Annex II, point 1. The specific ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances within the scope of this Regulation are set out in Annex II, point 2.

1. The conformity assessment procedure referred to in Article 8 of Directive 2005/32/EC shall be the internal design control system set out in Annex IV to that Directive or the management system set out in Annex V to that Directive.

2. For the purposes of conformity assessment pursuant to Article 8 of Directive 2005/32/EC, the technical documentation file shall contain a copy of the product information provided in accordance with Annex III, point 2, and the results of the calculations set out in Annex IV to this Regulation.

Where the information included in the technical documentation for a particular household refrigerating appliance model has been obtained by calculation on the basis of design, or extrapolation from other equivalent household refrigerating appliances, or both, the documentation shall include details of such calculations or extrapolations, or both, and of tests undertaken by manufacturers to verify the accuracy of the calculations undertaken. In such cases, the technical documentation shall also include a list of all other equivalent household refrigerating appliance models where the information included in the technical documentation was obtained on the same basis.

When performing the market surveillance checks referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2005/32/EC for the requirements set out in Annex II to this Regulation, the Member State authorities shall apply the verification procedure described in Annex V to this Regulation.

The indicative benchmarks for best-performing household refrigerating appliances available on the market at the time of entry into force of this Regulation are set out in Annex VI.

The Commission shall review this Regulation in the light of technological progress no later than five years after its entry into force and present the result of this review to the Ecodesign Consultation Forum. The review shall in particular assess the verification tolerances of Annex V and the possibilities for removing or reducing the values of the correction factors of Annex IV.

The Commission shall assess the need to adopt specific ecodesign requirements for wine storage appliances no later than two years after the entry into force of this Regulation.

1. This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2. The generic ecodesign requirements set out in point 1(1) of Annex II shall apply from 1 July 2010.

The generic ecodesign requirements set out in point 1(2) of Annex II shall apply from 1 July 2013.

The specific ecodesign requirements for the Energy Efficiency Index set out in point 2 of Annex II shall apply in accordance with the timetable set out in Tables 1 and 2 of Annex II.

ANNEX I

Definitions applicable for the purposes of Annexes II to VI

For the purpose of Annexes II to VI, the following definitions shall apply:

(a)	‘other-type refrigerating appliances’ means a refrigerating appliance in which refrigeration is effected by any other technology or process than compression or absorption-types;

(b)	‘frost-free system’ means a system automatically operated to prevent the permanent formation of frost, where cooling is provided by forced air circulation, the evaporator or evaporators are defrosted by an automatic defrost system, and the water from defrosting is disposed of automatically;

(c)	‘frost-free compartment’ means any compartment defrosted by a frost-free system;

(d)	‘built-in appliance’ means a fixed refrigerating appliance intended to be installed in a cabinet, in a prepared recess in a wall or similar location, and requiring furniture finishing;

(e)	‘refrigerator-cellar’ means a refrigerating appliance where at least one fresh-food storage compartment and one cellar compartment, but no frozen-food storage, chill or ice making compartments, are present;

(f)	‘cellar’ means a refrigerating appliance where only one or more cellar compartments are present;

(g)	‘refrigerator-chiller’ means a refrigerating appliance where at least a fresh-food storage compartment and a chill compartment, but no frozen-food storage compartments, are present;

(h)	‘compartments’ means any of the compartments listed in points (i) to (p);

(i)	‘fresh-food storage compartment’ means a compartment designed for the storage of unfrozen foodstuffs, which may itself be divided into sub-compartments;

(j)	‘cellar compartment’ means a compartment intended for the storage of particular foodstuffs or beverages at a temperature warmer than that of a fresh-food storage compartment;

(k)	‘chill compartment’ means a compartment intended specifically for the storage of highly perishable foodstuffs;

(l)	‘ice-making compartment’ means a low-temperature compartment intended specifically for the freezing and storage of ice;

(m)

‘frozen-food storage compartment’ means a low-temperature compartment intended specifically for the storage of frozen foodstuffs and classified according to temperature as follows:

(i)	‘one-star compartment’: a frozen-food storage compartment in which the temperature is not warmer than – 6 °C;

(ii)	‘two-star compartment’: a frozen-food storage compartment in which the temperature is not warmer than – 12 °C;

(iii)

‘three-star compartment’: a frozen-food storage compartment in which the temperature is not warmer than – 18 °C;

(iv)

‘food freezer compartment’ (or ‘four-star compartment’): a compartment suitable for freezing at least 4,5 kg of foodstuffs per 100 l of storage volume, and in no case less than 2 kg, from ambient temperature down to – 18 °C over a period of 24 hours, which is also suitable for the storage of frozen food under three-star storage conditions, and may include two-star sections within the compartment;

(v)	‘0-star compartment’: a frozen-food storage compartment in which the temperature is < 0 °C and which can also be used for the freezing and storage of ice but is not intended for the storage of highly perishable foodstuffs;

(n)

‘wine storage compartment’ means a compartment exclusively designed either for short-term wine storage to bring wines to the ideal drinking temperature or for long-term wine storage to allow wine to mature, with the following features:

(i)	continuous storage temperature, either pre-set or set manually according to the manufacturer’s instructions, in the range from + 5 °C to + 20 °C;

(ii)	storage temperature(s) within a variation over time of less than 0,5 K at each declared ambient temperature specified by the climate class for household refrigerating appliances;

(iii)

active or passive control of the compartment humidity in the range from 50 % to 80 %;

(iv)	constructed to reduce the transmission of vibration to the compartment, whether from the refrigerator compressor or from any external source;

(o)

‘multi-use compartment’ means a compartment intended for use at two or more of the temperatures of the compartment types and capable of being set by the end-user to continuously maintain the operating temperature range applicable to each compartment type according to the manufacturer’s instructions; however, where a feature can shift temperatures in a compartment to a different operating temperature range for a period of limited duration only (such as a fast-freeze facility) the compartment is not a ‘multi-use compartment’ as defined by this Regulation;

(p)	‘other compartment’ means a compartment, other than a wine storage compartment, intended for the storage of particular foodstuffs at a temperature warmer than + 14 °C;

(q)	‘two-star section’ means part of a food-freezer, a food-freezer compartment, a three-star compartment or a three-star frozen-food storage cabinet which does not have its own individual access door or lid and in which the temperature is not warmer than – 12 °C;

(r)	‘chest freezer’, means a food freezer in which the compartment(s) is accessible from the top of the appliance or which has both top-opening type and upright type compartments but where the gross volume of the top-opening type compartment(s) exceeds 75 % of the total gross volume of the appliance;

(s)	‘top-opening type’ or ‘chest type’ means a refrigerating appliance with its compartment(s) accessible from the top of the appliance;

(t)	‘upright type’ means a refrigerating appliance with its compartment(s) accessible from the front of the appliance;

(u)	‘fast freeze’ means a reversible feature to be activated by the end-user according to the manufacturer’s instructions, which decreases the storage temperature of the freezer or freezer compartment to achieve a faster freezing of unfrozen foodstuffs.

ANNEX IV

Method for calculating the Energy Efficiency Index

1. CLASSIFICATION OF HOUSEHOLD REFRIGERATING APPLIANCES

Household refrigerating appliances are classified in categories as in Table 1. Each category is defined by the specific compartment composition as specified in Table 2 and is independent of the number of doors and/or drawers.

Table 1

Household refrigerating appliances categories

Category	Designation
1	Refrigerator with one or more fresh-food storage compartments
2	Refrigerator-cellar, cellar and wine storage appliances
3	Refrigerator-chiller and refrigerator with a 0-star compartment
4	Refrigerator with a 1-star compartment
5	Refrigerator with a 2-star compartment
6	Refrigerator with a 3-star compartment
7	Refrigerator-freezer
8	Upright freezer
9	Chest freezer
10	Multi-use and other refrigerating appliances

Household refrigerating appliances that cannot be classified in categories 1 to 9 because of compartment temperature are classified in Category 10.

Table 2

Household refrigerating appliance classification and relevant compartment composition

Nominal temperature (for the EEI) (°C)

Design T

+12

–6

–12

–18

Category

(number)

Compartment types

Other

Wine storage

Cellar

Fresh food storage

Chill

0-star/Ice making

1-star

2-star

3-star

4-star

Appliance Category

Compartments composition

REFRIGERATOR WITH ONE OR MORE FRESH-FOOD STORAGE COMPARTMENTS

REFRIGERATOR-CELLAR, CELLAR AND WINE STORAGE APPLIANCE

REFRIGERATOR-CHILLER AND REFRIGERATOR WITH A 0-STAR COMPARTMENT

REFRIGERATOR WITH A 1-STAR COMPARTMENT

REFRIGERATOR WITH A 2-STAR COMPARTMENT

REFRIGERATOR WITH A 3-STAR COMPARTMENT

REFRIGERATOR-FREEZER

UPRIGHT FREEZER

Y (1)

CHEST FREEZER

MULTI-USE AND OTHER APPLIANCES

Notes:

Y	=	the compartment is present;
N	=	the compartment is not present;
O	=	the presence of the compartment is optional;

Household refrigerating appliances are classified in one or more climate classes as shown in Table 3

Table 3

Climate classes

Class	Symbol	Ambient average temperature °C
Extended temperate	SN	+ 10 to + 32
Temperate	N	+ 16 to + 32
Subtropical	ST	+ 16 to + 38
Tropical	T	+ 16 to + 43

The refrigerating appliance shall be capable of maintaining the required storage temperatures in the different compartments simultaneously and within the permitted temperature deviations (during the defrost cycle) as defined in Table 4 for the different types of household refrigerating appliances and for the appropriate climate classes.

Multi-use appliances and/or compartments shall be capable of maintaining the required storage temperatures of the different compartment types where these temperatures can be set by the end-user according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Table 4

Storage temperatures

Storage temperatures (°C)

Other compartment

Wine storage compartment

Cellar compartment

Fresh-food storage compartment

Chill compartment

One-star compartment

Two-star compartment/section

Food freezer and three-star compartment/cabinet

tom

twma

tcm

t1m, t2m, t3m, tma

tcc

t**

t***

> + 14

+ 5 ≤ twma ≤ + 20

+ 8 ≤ tcm ≤ + 14

0 ≤ t1m, t2m, t3m ≤ + 8; tma ≤ + 4

– 2 ≤ tcc ≤ + 3

≤ – 6

≤ – 12 (2)

≤ – 18 (2)

Notes:

tom	:	storage temperature of the other compartment
twma	:	storage temperature of the wine storage compartment with a variation of 0,5 K
tcm	:	storage temperature of the cellar compartment
t1m, t2m, t3m	:	storage temperatures of the fresh-food compartment
tma	:	average storage temperature of the fresh-food compartment
tcc	:	instantaneous storage temperature of the chill compartment
t, t, t**	:	maximum temperatures of the frozen-food storage compartments

storage temperature for the ice-making compartment and for the ‘0-star’ compartment is below 0 °C

2. CALCULATION OF THE EQUIVALENT VOLUME

The equivalent volume of a household refrigerating appliance is the sum of the equivalent volumes of all compartments. It is calculated in litres and rounded to the nearest integer as:

Formula

where:

—	n is the number of compartments

—	Vc is the storage volume of the compartment(s)

—	Tc is the nominal temperature of the compartment(s) as set out in Table 2

—	is the thermodynamic factor as set in Table 5

—	FFc , CC and BI are volume correction factors as set out in Table 6.

The thermodynamic correction factor Formula is the temperature difference between the nominal temperature of a compartment Tc (defined in Table 2) and the ambient temperature under standard test conditions at + 25 °C, expressed as a ratio of the same difference for a fresh-food compartment at + 5 °C.

The thermodynamic factors for the compartments described in Annex I, points (i) to (p), are set out in Table 5.

Table 5

Thermodynamic factors for refrigerating appliance compartments

Compartment	Nominal temperature	(25 – Tc )/20
Other compartment	Design temperature
Cellar compartment/Wine storage compartment	+ 12 °C	0,65
Fresh-food storage compartment	+ 5 °C	1,00
Chill compartment	0 °C	1,25
Ice-making compartment and 0-star compartment	0 °C	1,25
One-star compartment	– 6 °C	1,55
Two-star compartment	– 12 °C	1,85
Three-star compartment	– 18 °C	2,15
Food freezer compartment (four-star compartment)	– 18 °C	2,15

Notes:

(i)	for multi-use compartments, the thermodynamic factor is determined by the nominal temperature as given in Table 2 of the coldest compartment type capable of being set by the end-user and maintained continuously according to the manufacturer’s instructions;

(ii)	for any two-star section (within a freezer) the thermodynamic factor is determined at Tc = – 12 °C;

(iii)

for other compartments the thermodynamic factor is determined by the coldest design temperature capable of being set by the end-user and maintained continuously according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Table 6

Value of the correction factors

Correction factor	Value	Conditions
FF (Frost-free)	1,2	For frost-free frozen-food storage compartments
FF (Frost-free)	1	Otherwise
CC (climate class)	1,2	For T class (tropical) appliances
	1,1	For ST class (subtropical) appliances
	1	Otherwise
BI (built-in)	1,2	For built-in appliances under 58 cm in width
BI (built-in)	1	Otherwise

Notes:

(i)	FF is the volume correction factor for frost-free compartments.

(ii)	CC is the volume correction factor for a given climate class. If a refrigerating appliance is classified in more than one climate class, the climate class with the highest correction factor is used for the calculation of the equivalent volume.

(iii)

BI is the volume correction factor for built-in appliances.

3. CALCULATION OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX

For the calculation of the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI), of a household refrigerating appliance model, the Annual Energy Consumption of the household refrigerating appliance is compared to its Standard Annual Energy Consumption.

The Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) is calculated and rounded to the first decimal place, as:

where:

—	=	AEC	=	Annual Energy Consumption of the household refrigerating appliance
—	=	SAEC	=	Standard Annual Energy Consumption of the household refrigerating appliance.

The Annual Energy Consumption (AEC ) is calculated in kWh/year and rounded to two decimal places, as:

AEc = E24h × 365

where:

—	E24h is the energy consumption of the household refrigerating appliance in kWh/24h and rounded to three decimal places.

The Standard Annual Energy Consumption (SAEC ) is calculated in kWh/year and rounded to two decimal places, as:

SAEc = Veq × M + N + CH

where:

—	Veq is the equivalent volume of the household refrigerating appliance

—	CH is equal to 50 kWh/year for household refrigerating appliances with a chill compartment with a storage volume of at least 15 litres

—	the M and N values are given in Table 7 for each household refrigerating appliance category.

Table 7

M and N values by household refrigerating appliance category

Category	M	N
1	0,233	245
2	0,233	245
3	0,233	245
4	0,643	191
5	0,450	245
6	0,777	303
7	0,777	303
8	0,539	315
9	0,472	286
10	(3)	(3)

(1) also includes 3-star frozen-food cabinets.

(2) for frost-free household refrigerating appliances during the defrost cycle, a temperature deviation of no more than 3 K during a period of 4 hours or 20 % of the duration of the operating cycle, whichever is the shorter, is allowed

(3) for Category 10 household refrigerating appliances the M and N values depend on the temperature and star rating of the compartment with the lowest storage temperature capable of being set by the end-user and maintained continuously according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When only an ‘other compartment’ as defined in Table 2 and Annex I, point (p), is present, the M and N values for Category 1 are used. Appliances with three-star compartments or food-freezer compartments are considered to be refrigerator-freezers.

Application date	Energy Efficiency Index (EEI)
1 July 2010	EEI < 55
1 July 2012	EEI < 44
1 July 2014	EEI < 42

Application date	Energy Efficiency Index (EEI)
1 July 2010	EEI < 150
1 July 2012	EEI < 125
1 July 2015	EEI < 110

Measured parameter	Verification tolerances
Rated gross volume	The measured value shall not be less than the rated value (1) by more than 3 % or 1 l, whichever is the greater value.
Rated storage volume	The measured value shall not be less than the rated value by more than 3 % or 1 l, whichever is the greater value. Where the volumes of the cellar compartment and fresh food storage compartment are adjustable, relative to one another by the user, this measurement uncertainty applies when the cellar compartment is adjusted to its minimum volume.
Freezing capacity	The measured value shall not be less than the rated value by more than 10 %.
Energy consumption	The measured value shall not be greater than the rated value (E24h ) by more than 10 %.
Power consumption of household refrigerating appliances with a storage volume below 10 litres	The measured value shall not be greater than the limit value laid down in Annex II, point 1(2c), by more than 0,10 W at the 95 % confidence level.
Wine storage appliances	The value measured for the relative humidity shall not exceed the nominal range by more than 10 %.