European Standards are essential complementing tools to EU legislation, supporting, among others, the Ecodesign and the Energy Labelling Regulations in providing methods to measure and assess whether products comply with regulatory requirements.
Following specific requests – called 'standardization requests' or 'mandates' from the European Commission, CEN and CENELEC develop ad hoc measurement methods for each regulated product group. The standards containing the measurement methods are then offered for citation in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and when cited, manufacturers may use them for the conformity assessment of their product concerning the requirements of the concerned regulations.
About 25 CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees develop European Standards in the field of Ecodesign and Energy Labelling, and their number is likely to increase over time depending on the regulatory developments at the level of the European Commission. CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees currently active in this field cover topics as diverse as, and not limited to:
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Household electrical appliances
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Power transformers
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Professional refrigeration
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Kitchen appliances
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Heating boilers
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Lighting
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Pumps
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Air conditioning
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Power electronics
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Audio, video and multimedia systems
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Vacuum cleaners
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Fans
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Water heaters
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Space heaters
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Ventilation units
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Non-household washing machines, dryers & dishwashers
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Computers and computer servers
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Welding equipment
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CEN-CENELEC Ecodesign Coordination Group (Eco-CG)
In order to coordinate and advise on standardization activities in the fields of Ecodesign and Energy Labelling, the CEN and CENELEC Technical Boards set up in November 2012 the CEN-CENELEC Ecodesign Coordination Group (Eco-CG). The group serves as a focal point concerning standardization issues relating to the Ecodesign Standardization Requests delivered under Directive 2009/125/EC on Ecodesign of energy-related products and Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 on Energy Labelling of energy-related products and their future versions.
Moreover, the members of the Eco-CG have the possibility to submit specific questions related to the standardization process, the regulatory process, presumption of conformity or tolerances and uncertainties in the framework of the Ecodesign activities. Those questions and their answers are included in a dedicated FAQ, which the Eco-CG decided to make publicly visible.
