General topics

When has the replacement of the old label by the new label to be arranged for household appliances and TVs which are placed on the market before and after November 2020?

  • The replacement has to be arranged within 14 working days as of 1st March 2021. The 14 days are specified as working days only including Monday to Friday but no Saturdays, Sundays or national holidays. The new labels must not be shown in physical stores and online shops before 1.3.2021.
  • The requirements concerning timing of the replacement are the same for physical stores and for online shops.

Do the labels included in the packaging of products which are already in the stocks of retailers also have to be replaced?

  • The dealers only need to display the rescaled label in stores and online shops from the date the new label starts to apply. No modification of the content of packaging is requested for units in the retailers’ stock. Thus old labels and product information sheets in the packaging do not have to be replaced.
  • However, concerning light sources, the dealer shall replace the existing label by a sticker with the rescaled label of the same size on the packaging or attached to the package, within 18 months after 1st September 2021, i.e. by 28th February 2023.

May visual advertisements or catalogues with the new labels already be shown before 1st March respectively 1st September 2021?

  • Any visual advertisement for a specific rescaled product containing its new energy efficiency class, may not become public before the application date of the new regulation (1st March or 1st September 2021 depending on the product). Catalogues can be prepared but not disseminated before these dates. The same applies for advertisement on the Internet.

For the product groups household appliances, TVs and electronic displays: which products are exempted from relabelling with the rescaled label and until when are such products allowed to be sold by retailers?

  • A dealer who is unable to obtain a rescaled label for units already in its stock because the supplier has ceased its activities is allowed to sell those units exclusively with the non-rescaled label until 30th November 2021. After this date, units shall not be in stores and online shops and must not be sold anymore.
  • If no units belonging to the same model or equivalent models are placed on the market after 1st November 2020 and if the old (non-rescaled) and the new (rescaled) label require different testing of the model, the supplier is exempt from the obligation to supply a rescaled label for units placed on the market before 1 November 2020. In that case, the dealer shall be permitted to sell those units exclusively with the non-rescaled label until 30th November 2021. After this date, units shall not be in stores or online shops and must not be sold anymore.

Internet or distance selling including also visual advertisement and promotional material for rescaled product groups

What specific requirements have to be considered for internet and distance selling?

  • An arrow of the colour of the product energy efficiency class and the range of available energy efficiency classes shall to be placed next to the product model for paper or internet distance sales. The arrows graphical specifications are detailed in Annex VII & VIII of each energy labelling regulation. A monochrome version is possible for monochrome printed material.
  • Suppliers shall ensure that the rescaled energy label and the product information sheet are available in EPREL. The dealers can request them from suppliers in a printed form (Article 3 'Obligations on Suppliers'). Additional specifications on the rescaled energy label and product information sheet for Internet and distance selling are detailed in Annexes VII & VIII of each energy labelling regulation.
  • In the case of distance selling and telemarketing, customers can obtain on request a printed copy of the label and product information sheet (usually point 6. of Annex VII) from the dealer. In the case of telemarketing, the (oral) information provided to the customer shall include the product energy efficiency class and the range of available energy efficiency classes.

Information related to EPREL (EU product database for labelled products)

How and when will the new labels be generated?

Suppliers already have to register appliances that require an energy label since 1st January 2019.

Suppliers have to re-register their products if they do not fall under the specified derogations. With this re-registration a new EPREL identifier will be generated.

Until Q3/2020 EPREL allows companies to pre-register their products, thus to produce their rescaled labels “manually”. EPREL produces the QR code to be included in the source file of the labels (published on Europa, INDD format). Thus labels can be produced manually with support from a graphic designer.

The full re-registration in the EPREL database is expected to be available from the third quarter 2020. This will include the production functionality for rescaled labels. Thus from Q3/2020 onwards EPREL will produce the complete rescaled labels. Companies must enter all data for a product and the label is automatically produced by EPREL.

Will dealers be able to download the labels and product data sheets from EPREL?

Dealers will also be able to download the information from EPREL from the date the new label starts to apply.

When will the information for the new rescaled labels be available respectively visible on EPREL for the general public?

  • The general public will also be able to download the rescaled labels and related product information sheets from EPREL from the date a rescaled label starts to apply.
  • The access to EPREL will be facilitated by the QR-code linking directly into the product page in EPREL.
  • Information provided on EPREL will be based on the current/”old” regulations until 28th February 2021 for household appliances, TVs and electronic displays respectively 31st August 2021 for light sources. Information according to the new regulations will be provided from 1st March 2021 for household appliances, TVs and electronic displays and 1st September 2021 for light sources.

Promotional and educational material concerning the new labels

What kind of promotional and educational material may be used before the application date of the new regulations (1st March 2021 respectively 1st September 2021 for light sources)?

  • Any visual advertisement for a specific rescaled product containing its new energy efficiency class, may not become public before the application date of the new regulation (1st March for household appliances, TVs & electronic displays, 1st September 2021 for light sources). Catalogues can be prepared but not disseminated before these dates. The same applies for advertisement on the Internet.
  • Information campaigns on the rescaling of the European energy labels accompanied by educational material can take place before the application dates of the new regulations.