Verifying EU energy standards for domestic air-conditioners

Background

SEAI, acting in its capacity as Ireland’s Market Surveillance Authority (MSA) for energy-related products, participated in an EU-funded joint action relating to domestic air conditioners alongside four other EU MSAs. This project aimed to protect end-users and ensure fair competition by verifying that products on the EU market complied with energy efficiency requirements set out in European regulations. This project was undertaken as part of the wider Joint Actions on Compliance of Products (JACOP) 2024 initiative, which involved MSAs from 27 countries and spanned a wide range of legislation, including energy efficiency, product safety and construction products. At the same time, the initiative fosters cooperation and the exchange of best practices between EU Member States and the European Commission. 

The project

The products were sampled in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Malta, and Romania from both online and physical stores. A risk-based approach to product selection was taken, informed by market research. This involved several steps:

1. Product screening: 14 domestic air conditioning units (10 split systems and 4 portable units) from 10 different manufacturers were selected.
2. Product assessment: The MSA teams, which participated in the project conducted a comprehensive assessment of both technical documentation and product performance. While not exhaustive, the list below highlights some of the checks carried out during the campaign to verify compliance: 

• The presence and accuracy of the energy label (A+++ to D scale) and product fiche as per Regulation (EU) No 626/2011.
• Technical documentation availability to demonstrate compliance with the minimum performance requirements. 
• Power consumption: Assessment of power modes, including standby power.

3. EPREL registration: Compliance with EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) registration requirements.
4. Laboratory testing: In addition to document checks, an accredited laboratory in Italy tested the units' actual cooling performance using the relevant European test standard. The laboratory results were then measured against the manufacturer's declared performance values and the minimum requirements set out in the regulations to confirm full compliance. 

Results

The campaign highlighted a high level of compliance while identifying some specific issues:

Energy efficiency compliance: 

• All 14 products tested under the JACOP 2024 project, including 3 products tested by SEAI MSA, complied with the core EU energy efficiency requirements.  
• One product failed to meet a standby/off-mode power consumption requirement following triplicate testing, and SEAI is following up with the economic operator

Documentation and labelling: 

All 14 products had the energy label attached, and the energy label and information sheet were displayed in promotional materials.

Identified non-compliance issues:

• Three products featured incomplete or inaccurate product information sheets.
• One of these three products was also not listed in EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling).

Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) are required to engage with the manufacturers of non-compliant products and require the implementation of appropriate corrective actions where non-compliance issues have been identified.

Project outcomes

Participation brought clear benefits to the Irish market and gave SEAI the opportunity to conduct market surveillance in a new product category, thereby improving its understanding of both regulatory requirements and the market. 

Collaboration with other MSAs facilitated knowledge sharing and alignment in the application of the rules. In addition, the project provided valuable hands-on laboratory testing experience for future use. 

The project findings suggest that compliance levels may be high, but the sample size was too small to confirm this conclusively.

Recommendations

Importers and manufacturers are reminded of their legislative obligations to:

 carry out conformity assessments and register their products in EPREL before placing them on the EU market; 

• ensure the accuracy of technical documentation and
• make sure the data entered into the digital registry matches the printed product fiche. 

SEAI recommends that businesses use the Checklist on ecodesign and energy labelling technical documentation, developed by the SEAI MSA team, to ensure compliance with EU requirements and be prepared for MSA inspections.

Consumers are advised to check the energy label when purchasing products and to use EPREL data via QR codes where available. Scanning the QR code -typically displayed on the energy label - provides direct access to the official product information in the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL). This enables consumers to verify energy performance, compare product efficiency, and review detailed specifications before making a purchase.

The detailed report on domestic air-conditioners from the JACOP 2024 project can be accessed on the EU Commission website here

About JACOP 2024:

The JACOP project was  organised by DG GROW, with the support of the Executive Agency EISMEA, the contracting authority and  financed by the Single Market Programme. Market surveillance authorities from 27 countries participated in JACOP 2024 to evaluate compliance with harmonised legislation for 16 product categories in 9 sectors.