Europe

On behalf of the European Commission (DG CLIMA), Öko-Recherche is working on a series of analysis evaluating the implementation of the F-Gas Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 since 2015. This includes, among others, monitoring of the refrigerant prices. The Q3/2019 report has been recently shared with Eurovent.

In cooperation with Orgalim, the Eurovent Team regularly provides you with an in-depth overview on all European legislative developments of relevance for the HVACR sector. The Bulletin provides for a hands-on compendium allowing the industry to assess the status quo and expected future developments. In addition to recent sector specific issues, our Team has summarised some of the key takeaways within this article.

On behalf of our Team, we would like to wish you a very nice holiday season. It is our wish that 2020 brings all of us many new business opportunities, and a lot of professional growth, health, and happiness. For the Eurovent Association and its Chapter Eurovent Middle East, this year was marked with many important developments, of which we would like to share a few. The Eurovent review 2019 can be downloaded via this link.

Last Wednesday, 11 December, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, an ambitious package of policy measures geared towards making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. With bold investments in green technologies, boosts to innovation, and support for climate friendly industries, the policy package offers new growth perspectives for businesses in the European HVACR sector, and the potential to bolster the position of our industry as global leaders in clean and sustainable products.

The Commission has just issued the update of Policy Officers for the different Ecodesign and Energy Labelling files. Below, you may find the outline their competences and the present status of the individual Lots.

The European Commission for the period 2019-2024 has been elected. Within that context a brief overview of the various institutes involved in the HVACR industry is provided as well as a general update on ongoing files.

On 22 November, the EU Directorate General for Taxation and Customs published a guidance note in case the United Kingdom would leave the EU with no deal. If there would be no deal, the UK will withdraw from the EU on 1 February 2020. If there would be a deal, a new transition period would apply. Both the EU and the UK have been updating their guidance notes.

The Eurovent Association has released the fourth edition of the widely-applied Eurovent Recommendation 4/21 – ‘Energy Efficiency Evaluation of air filters for general ventilation purposes’. The updated guidelines set out a new method for the determination of the annual energy consumption for filters operating at an airflow rate other than nominal.

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2018/1844 requires the Commission to conclude a feasibility study, clarifying the possibilities and timeline to introduce the inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems and an optional building renovation passport before 2020. 

The Commission informed the stakeholders that discussions on the preparation of the delegated act that will establish the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) scheme under Article 8(10) of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), including the definition and calculation methodology of the SRI, have started. The adoption of a Common Union SRI by the Member States is optional.