Ecodesign and energy labelling — light sources and separate control gear

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 on ecodesign requirements for light sources and separate control gears

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 on energy labelling of light sources

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATIONS?

Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 establishes ecodesign* requirements for the sale or putting into service of light sources and separate control gears. It repeals Regulations (EC) No 244/2009, (EC) No 245/2009 and (EU) No 1194/2012.
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 lays down rules on the energy labelling of light sources. It supplements Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 on energy labelling and repeals Delegated Regulation (EU) No 874/2012.

KEY POINTS

A light source is an electrically operated product intended to emit, or capable of emitting, light using incandescence, fluorescence, high-intensity discharge or inorganic or organic light emitting diodes and includes certain high-pressure sodium light sources.

Control gear are devices which operate with light sources to prepare mains electricity for the electricity requirement of the light source. This may include transforming the supply and starting voltage, limiting current supply, preventing cold starting, correcting the power factor or reducing radio interference. It does not include power supplies.

Regulation (EU) 2019/2020:

stipulates in Annex II the date (1 September 2021) when the ecodesign requirements come into force, covering
- energy efficiency
- functional requirements
- information and labelling for professionals and end-users;
sets out exemptions in Annex III for light sources or control gear specifically designed to operate
- in potentially explosive atmospheres
- for emergency use
- in radiological and nuclear medicine installations
- in or on military or civil defence establishments, equipment, ground vehicles, marine equipment or aircraft
- in or on motor vehicles, their trailers and systems, towed equipment, components and separate technical units
- in or on non-road mobile machinery
- in or on certain equipment intended to be towed
- in or on civil aviation aircraft
- in railway vehicle lighting
- in marine equipment
- in medical devices;
sets out additional exemptions, such as
- electronic displays (e.g. televisions, computer monitors, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones and game consoles)
- light sources and separate control gears in battery-operated products, including torches, mobile phones with an integrated torch light, toys including light sources and desk lamps operating only on batteries
- light sources for spectroscopy and photometric applications
- light sources and separate control gears on bicycles and other non-motorised vehicles
- certain other light sources listed in Annex III, which must only fulfil the information requirements in the regulation.

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

Models of inorganic and organic light emitting diode light sources must undergo endurance testing to verify their lumen maintenance and survival factor.

Annex VI sets out indicative benchmarks for the environmental aspects considered significant and quantifiable, based on the best available technology.

The European Commission must review the regulation in the light of technological progress and to assess a number of aspects 5 years after its entry into force.

Under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2015:

Suppliers of light sources must ensure that:
- each light source has a printed label on the packaging, in the format set out in Annex III;
- the parameters of the product information sheet and the content of the technical documentation, as set out in Annexes V and VI, are entered into the product database;
- on request by dealers, product information sheets are made available in printed form;
- visual advertising and any technical promotional material, including technical promotional material on the internet, contains the energy efficiency class of the light source model and the range of energy efficiency classes available on the label, in accordance with Annex VII and Annex VIII;
- an electronic label in the format and containing the information, as set out in Annex III, is made available to dealers for each light source model;
- an electronic product information sheet, as set out in Annex V, is made available to dealers for each light source model;
- on request by dealers, printed rescaled* product labels are provided as a sticker of the same size as the one which already exists.
Dealers must ensure that:
- at the point of sale, each light source bears the clearly visible energy class label provided by suppliers;
- in the event of distance selling, the label and product information sheet are provided;
- any visual advertising or technical promotional material, including on the internet, contains the energy efficiency class of the lighting source model and the range of energy efficiency classes available on the label;
- existing labels on light sources at points of sale are covered by the rescaled labels, at the latest 18 months after the application date of the regulation.
Where an internet hosting service provider allows the selling of light sources through its internet site, the service provider must enable the display of the electronic label and electronic product information sheet provided by the dealer and must inform the dealer of the obligation to display them.
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/340 amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 by:
- replacing the definition of containing product*;
- requiring the values of the parameters included in the product information sheet, as set out in Annex V of Regulation (EU) 2019/2015, to be entered into the public part of the product database (applies from 1 March 2022);
- allowing dealers, on request, to use printed labels to rescale products in the form of a sticker, of the same size as the one which already exists;
- allowing suppliers, when placing a light source on the market, to provide it with the existing label until 31 August 2021 and with the rescaled label from 1 September 2021 — the supplier may choose to already provide light sources placed on the market during the period from 1 July to 31 August 2021 with the rescaled label, if no light sources belonging to the same model or equivalent models were placed on the market before 1 July 2021: in that case, the dealer must not offer those light sources for sale before 1 September 2021;
- allowing existing labels on light sources at points of sale to be replaced by the rescaled labels in such a way as to cover the existing label, including when printed on or attached to the package, within 18 months after the date of application of Regulation (EU) 2019/2015, and rescaled labels are not displayed before that date.

FROM WHEN DO THE REGULATIONS APPLY?

They have both applied since 1 September 2021.

BACKGROUND

Directive 2009/125/EC establishes a framework to set ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. It tasks the Commission with setting these for products which are widely sold and traded in the EU and have a significant environmental impact.
Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 establishes a framework to set energy labelling requirements for energy-related products to enable consumers to choose more efficient products to reduce their energy consumption.
For more information, see:
- The new ecodesign measures explained (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.

Rescaled product labels: energy efficiency labels that were reclassified, so that products previously ranging from ‘A+++’ to ‘G’ were replaced by ‘A’ to ‘G’ to balance out the high number of the more energy-efficient classes.

Containing product: a product containing one or more light sources, separate control gears or both. Examples of containing products are luminaires that can be taken apart to allow separate verification of the contained light source(s), household appliances containing light source(s) and furniture (shelves, mirrors, display cabinets) containing light source(s). If a containing product cannot be taken apart for verification of the light source and separate control gear, the entire containing product is to be considered a light source.

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for light sources and separate control gears pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Regulations (EC) No 244/2009, (EC) No 245/2009 and (EU) No 1194/2012 (OJ L 315, 5.12.2019, pp. 209-240)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 of 11 March 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to energy labelling of light sources and repealing Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 874/2012 (OJ L 315, 5.12.2019, pp. 68-101)

See consolidated version.