Europe

On a monthly basis, the Eurovent Team compiles a global overview of the latest developments concerning new standardisation activities and technical regulations of relevance for the HVACR industry. Our Notifications allow members to be prepare for developments that can have an impact on them and their products.

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.

NEx (Nature of Excellence) is the new certification label by Eurovent Certita Certification, which enables HVACR manufacturers to validate sought-after criteria of their top-rated products which go beyond performance rates.

FRONT is a demonstration funded under LIFE, the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation and climate action projects. It is often referred to as LIFE FRONT. The project runs until 2020 and aims to remove barriers posed by standards for flammable refrigerants and increase the availability of suitable alternatives.

In many countries, questions are asked about the auditors authorised by the Regulation 517/2014 on the emissions of Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases, as well as about the obligations, thresholds, timing, etc. The obligations include reporting above certain thresholds (Importers of substances as well as equipment), Declaration of Conformity (since 01/01/2018) for pre-charged equipment, and quotas above a CO2eq threshold and for imports under certain conditions.

The Electric Magnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30/EU (EMCD) replaces the previous EMCD 2004/108 EC and has been applicable since 20 April 2016. The European Commission has now published its updated guides. The guidelines consider the impact of the new Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED) that entered into force on 13 June 2017, for which a separate guide exists.

South East Asia’s (SEA) HVACR market with Indonesia’s dominant share is set to be worth 13,63bn USD by 2023, hitting a CAGR of 9,30% between 2017 to 2023. As the country with the largest economy and population in SEA, Indonesia leads the regional market pinning strong influence on the demand surge due to its widespread infrastructure and robust industrial development. This article by Eurovent team member Markus Lattner provides an introduction to Indonesia in terms of market evolution with a focus on HVACR. 

On 6 March 2018, the third F-Gas Consultation Forum took place. The European Commission presentation highlighted that the price increases of F-Gases are well within range. The commitment to the phase-down was confirmed.

On 12 March 2018, the meeting of the Consultation Forum Sub-group ‘Suppliers’ took place. The European Commission presented an initial ‘demo’ and is looking for comments by the industry. Eurovent has suggested that the Commission prepares a short YouTube video to show how the database functions.

Within the framework of the Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labelling Regulation for air conditioners and comfort fans, harmonised standards are developed under a mandate by the European Commission. This article provides for an outline of these standards.