New harmonised EU rules to reduce the energy consumption and facilitate repair of industrial fans start to apply on 24 July 2026. The changes come 2 years after the regulation entered into force so that manufacturers had a sufficient period to adapt to the new requirements. Updating and replacing the previous 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 new rules, it is estimated that the overall EU electricity consumption of industrial fans will be roughly 31 TWh per year lower by 2030, than a situation without any ecodesign requirements. This saving is the equivalent to the annual electricity use of some 10 million electric vehicles. And today’s changes will generate annual savings of 8 TWh by 2030, relative to the previous requirements, 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 ensure that from now on only efficient industrial fans in line with recent standards can be placed on the EU market. The regulation also 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.
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- Publication date
- 24 July 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Energy