Navigating international efficiency mandates

Regulations aren’t written in a day. Here is the time line for European energy efficiency regulations as they passed into EU law. These standards get updated continually after adoption through a process that resembles that depicted here.
Select figure to enlarge

The long wait for new standards

There are more and more efficiency standards all over the world. As they proliferate, it can be difficult to make plans based on what's coming down the pike in different countries. This is particularly true for Europe. “The problem for the engineer with such documents as the Eco-design Directive in Europe is that in creating the document, first a consultant studies the market, gets test data, and makes recommendations. Then the process kind of goes silent,” says Rich Fassler. “After the study is done, it goes to a consultants' forum. Typically, that consists of one consultant from each member state (country), and some other representatives. The public is not generally invited.”

From the consultants' forum, it goes to the European regulatory committee. The committee can send it back if they see a business impact or unfair competition. Upon regulatory committee approval, it goes to the European Parliament to be voted into law. It then goes to the World Trade Organization which evaluates it for any unfair competitive implications around the world. If all goes well, the European Parliament votes on it. Afterward, the standard gets published in the European official journal. Within a month after publication, it becomes law. Typically, it's another 12 months before it goes into effect.

This lengthy protocol can make some standards moot by the time they are enacted. “Take the case of Lot 3 (Energy Star v. 3, computers), which came up three or four years ago,” says Fassler. “By the time the consultants met, Energy Star had already moved ahead to its next version, which was a totally different way of measuring efficiency. It had a standby mode, it had an active mode, and it had certain levels of efficiency at different loading points. So it had all changed. It was a tighter efficiency specification. At the forum, a revised draft came out dictating harmonization with the new Energy Star version.”

For more information:

Cosel Co. Ltd., San Jose, Calif., www.coselusa.com/

CSA International, Cleveland, Ohio, www.csa-international.org/

LEM, Milwaukee, Wis., www.lem.com/

Power Integrations, San Jose, Calif., www.powerint.com/en/green-room

EU motor efficiency standards, www.ecomotors.org

EU Manage Energy site, www.managenergy.net

Approved Ecodesign Standards