For the past 10 years, European governments have required manufacturers of wood-burning heating systems to produce increasingly efficient products whilst reducing their environmental impact. This new European standard is known as the ECO DESIGN 2022 standard.
Why create an ECO DESIGN 2022 standard?
The Ecodesign Regulation has been in place for over 10 years. In fact, it was in 2015 that European countries decided to introduce this standard. The main aim of this standard is, firstly, to inform consumers about the performance of the products they buy and, secondly, to require manufacturers to deliver ever-higher performance with minimal environmental impact.
However, the ECO DESIGN 2022 standard was not implemented in a single year. In fact, its introduction was a gradual process, with manufacturers being required, in 2017, to affix an energy performance label to wood-fired boilers.
Subsequently, European governments required manufacturers to affix these performance labels to all wood-burning appliances.
Nowadays, designing high-performance products and using resources wisely is of paramount importance. Indeed, wood-burning heating systems must now meet defined energy efficiency and environmental performance standards. If they fail to meet these standards, they cannot be sold as heating appliances.
The aim is to promote eco-design, whether in the manufacture or use of the wood-burning appliance.
What does this mean for consumers?
From the consumer’s point of view, the ECO DESIGN 2022 standard introduces four major changes. This means that manufacturers are required to produce appliances:
- Economical: these must achieve better fuel efficiency and therefore be more economical in terms of fuel consumption.
- Less polluting: the new appliances must also produce fewer emissions of particulates, carbon monoxide, etc.
- Safety: Open fireplaces can no longer be sold as a heating appliance for safety reasons.
- Similarly: labels must be displayed on all appliances
A new information label
Finally, the ECO DESIGN 2022 standard introduces a change to the labelling of appliances; currently, we see:
- Product name
- The brand
- The product code
- Direct power
- Energy efficiency rating
- Particulate matter and carbon dioxide emission rates
From tomorrow, with the new standard, we will also see:
- Amount of pollutants emitted: carbon monoxide (CO); nitrogen oxides (NOx); or volatile organic compounds.
- ETAS seasonal energy efficiency rating: this measures the entire heating cycle of a product. It therefore provides a more accurate picture of the appliance, enabling you to better estimate the potential savings.