The Deadline is Approaching – Don't Miss It!The new directives on ecodesign for circulation pumps will come into force on 1 January 2013. They raise the energy efficiency requirements of circulation pumps across the EU.
Ecodesign / ErP DirectiveIn 2005, the European Union adopted what is known as the ecodesign directive. It was initially also known as the EuP directive, standing for "Energy-using Products", and applied to all products which consume power. Since 2009, a new directive has been in force which expands its scope from "energy-using" to "energy-related" products, and is therefore now usually abbreviated as the "ErP directive".
Under this directive, in 2009 the EU Commission defined minimum efficiency requirements for the electric motors in glanded pumps and glandless circulation pumps in two regulations. Directives and StandardsThe ErP directive, effective from 01.01.2013, applies to all energy-related products except transportation applications for the carriage of people or goods.
Applicable Directives for Circulation Pumps
- Directive 2009/125/EC (formerly 2005/32/EC) - Directive 641/2009 and 622/2012 Efficiency Classes for Wet Rotor Circulation PumpsEU Commission Regulation (EC) no. 641/2009 of 22 July 2009 and EU Commission Regulation (EC) no. 622/2012 of 11 July 2012 From January 2013, glandless circulation pumps installed outside the heat generator (external pumps) must have an energy efficiency index (EEI) of no more than 0.27. The former energy efficiency ratings will cease to exist; pumps will then typically exceed the minimum requirements of previously A-rated products. The energy efficiency ratings will be replaced by the EEI label on the pump. From August 2015, the EEI limit value will be further reduced to 0.23. This will also apply to glandless circulation pumps, designed to operate in newly installed heat generators or solar thermal systems (integrated pumps). In the last implementation stage, the regulations starting from 2020 will also apply to the replacement of integrated pumps in existing heat generators. The regulations affect all glandless circulation pumps in heat generation or air conditioning systems. Drinking water circulation pumps are excluded. The reference value for the most efficient circulation pump is EEI ≤ 0.20.
The Energy Efficiency Index (EEI)A measurement procedure is used to classify the energy efficiency of heating pumps. The power input of the heating pump is measured at four different operating points in accordance with a standardised load profile. Because a Δp-variable control characteristic is beneficial, this control curve serves as the reference. Deviations from the control curve result in higher energy indicators. The power inputs determined at the four operating points are weighted with the time periods from the load profile. The average pump power input thus calculated is then considered in relation to the typical power input of comparable heating circulation pumps with the same hydraulic power. 
This results in what is known as the reference power input, calculated from measurements of a large number of commercial pumps. The result of the calculation is the energy efficiency index (EEI). The lower the EEI, the less electrical energy the pump consumes and the better the energy rating. ErP Area of ApplicabilityThe ErP ecodesign directive applies in these countries and territories: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Croatia, Switzerland, autonomous territories of EU member states (Faroe Islands, Jersey, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Greenland), Andorra, Monaco, San Marino. |
