The European Commission adopted today four ecodesign regulations 1 to improve the energy efficiency of industrial motors, circulators, televisions, refrigerators and freezers. The regulations lay down energy efficiency requirements which will save about 190 TWh per year by 2020, which is comparable to the combined annual electricity consumption of Sweden and Austria. "This package is a milestone on the road to achieving our energy efficiency, climate change and economic recovery objectives. It will save impressive amounts of electricity, CO2 emissions and electricity costs, while creating jobs and boosting the deployment of highly innovative technologies," said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. The regulation on motors sets energy performance requirements for most of the electric motors used in industrial applications . Furthermore it will foster the use of "variable speed drives" adjusting the motor output to the actual needs, instead of operating always at full capacity. The energy savings triggered by the motor regulation are about 135 TWh per year by 2020.

The regulation on circulators will shift the market to "intelligent" high efficiency circulators capable of adjusting their performance to the needs of the heating system. Circulators can be found in almost every building's boiler or heating system, and the electricity savings are expected to be about 25 TWh per year by 2020. The two regulations on televisions and refrigerators/freezers will leave only the efficient products on the market. The expected annual electricity savings by 2020 are about 30 TWh. In total nine ecodesign regulations have now been put in place 2 , which are expected to save about 315 TWh electricity per year by 2020 if fully implemented. This is more than the annual electricity consumption of Italy. Further information on Ecodesign is available here.

Source: European Commission

President Barroso and Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs have welcomed today's vote of the European Parliament backing new rules to strengthen the EU's internal energy market. The new legislation is expected to give consumers more protection and the benefit of the lowest possible energy prices while offering companies the chance to compete on a level playing field. In addition the legislative package will promote sustainability by stimulating energy efficiency.

Commission President, José Manuel Barroso said, "This is a major step towards a truly integrated European energy market, and the right European Union response to the structural challenges we face. It is good news for business and citizens alike who need competitive prices and security of energy supply. The adoption of the internal market proposals shows that Europe can deliver on its promises".

The European Parliament's energy committee today agreed to dedicate €565 million to offshore wind projects. The EU Economic Recovery Plan intends to tackle the financial crisis by encouraging investments in offshore wind, coal (carbon capture and storage - CCS) and electricity and gas infrastructure.

"The wind energy sector is pleased with the effort to unlock Europe's massive offshore wind energy resource, while encouraging investments in new electricity grids. Still, I have doubts whether the vast amounts of money being allocated to coal CCS will contribute to the EU's economic recovery, since the technology will not be commercially viable this side of 2020. EWEA therefore supports the Parliament's proposal to allocate any unspent money to renewable energy technologies, including onshore wind power, which can be employed immediately," said Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of the European Wind Energy Association.

EU Member States expressed their support for a Commission proposal to reduce the electricity consumption of circulators - which will save the equivalent of Ireland's yearly electricity consumption - during today's Ecodesign Regulatory Committee meeting. The Regulation is expected to create 7,000 jobs and make electricity savings of €2.2 billion by 2020. "The measure is a concrete contribution to reach the EU's energy efficiency and climate protection targets and will result very quickly in significant energy savings and benefits for the society and industry, as foreseen in the European Commission Economic Recovery Plan," said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

The Regulation will forbid by 2013 the placing on the market of low and standard efficiency circulators and will allow only very high-efficiency 'intelligent' circulators by 2015. The regulation covers standalone circulators that are small pumps mainly used for the circulation of water in heating applications in commercial and residential buildings and boiler-integrated circulators that form an integral part of a boiler.

EU Member States supported new rules to improve the energy performance of several products at the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulatory Committee meeting. The package sets mandatory energy performance requirements and creates an upgraded energy labelling system for televisions and 'white goods'. These new measures are expected to cut the EU's electricity consumption by 51 terawatt hours by 2020, which corresponds to the combined annual electricity consumption of Portugal and Latvia.

"This package of ecodesign and energy labelling measures is a crucial contribution to achieve our energy efficiency goals. I am particularly pleased with the new energy label, which is very clear for consumers, accelerates the race for top efficient products, and boosts market transformation and energy savings", said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

Under the ecodesign proposals, televisions and white goods, i.e. large electrical home appliances, will not be allowed to consume more than a certain amount of energy. For products meeting the requirements, a new energy label will inform consumers of the actual performance of the appliance and allow for comparison before purchase.