New harmonised EU rules to reduce the energy consumption and facilitate repair of industrial fans have been adopted by the Commission today. Updating and replacing the existing regulation from 2011, the new measures cover a wide variety of fan types, sizes and applications, used in all kinds of domains - from industrial processes to heating, cooling and ventilation equipment in tertiary or larger residential buildings. The requirements will contribute to reduced energy costs for European businesses and give manufacturers of efficient, durable and reparable products a competitive advantage.
With the changes introduced today, the overall EU electricity consumption of industrial fans is expected to be roughly 31 TWh a year lower, by 2030, than a situation without any requirements. This saving is the equivalent to the annual electricity use of some 10 million electric vehicles. The new changes, relative to the 2011 rules, will generate annual savings of 8 TWh by 2030, increasing to 14 TWh per year by 2040. In addition, it is estimated that in 2030 consumers and businesses will save around €4 billion each year in lower energy bills and reduced replacement costs (due to longer lifetimes of fans meeting the new requirements).
The regulation covers 'fans driven by motors with an electric input power between 125 W and 500 kW'. These are called ‘industrial fans’ to differentiate them from many other types of smaller fans, including ‘comfort fans’ ( ≤ 125W) used in households, which have their own rules together with air conditioners. 125 W is already relatively significant, meaning that it is not very likely to be found in individual houses. The new rules set revised energy efficiency thresholds, which will make sure that only efficient industrial fans in line with recent standards are placed on the EU market as of June 2026. It establishes upgraded information requirements, including information about fan performance at part load, enabling system designers to optimise energy use through smarter control of fans systems, which has the potential to unlock considerable additional energy savings. It also sets requirements on the availability and maximum delivery time of spare parts, as well as access to repair and maintenance information for professional repairers, in line with the recently published Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.
Today’s adoption follows extensive stakeholder consultation and subsequent scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council (from 13 February 2024 to 13 May 2024).
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Details
- Publication date
- 3 July 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Energy