Consultation launched on plans to update UK ecodesign requirements for energy-related products such as fridges, washing machines, lighting and computer servers
The government wants to boost the energy performance of household electrical products such as fridges, washing machines, lighting and computer servers, this week unveiling plans to push manufacturers towards meeting more stringent EU minimum efficiency standards.
Updated draft ecodesign regulations, earmarked to take effect from April 2020, aim to reduce the energy consumption of 11 product groups placed on the UK market and to remove the worst performing goods from sale, it said.
The government estimates the proposals, when taken alongside product labelling requirements to help customers choose the most energy efficient products, will help to save around £100 on the average household energy bill in 2020 while also cutting CO2 emissions by eight million tonnes.
Products covered in the regulations include fridges, lighting, electronic displays, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, motors, transformers, external power supplies, welding equipment, servers and data storage products.
More than 80 million of these products are sold in the UK each year, according to the government, while the average UK household has five to ten of these products powering a variety of electronic devices.
A six-week consultation on the draft regulations was launched on Tuesday, with the government affirming that all existing minimum performance and labelling requirements for energy-related products will remain enforceable in the UK after Brexit, even in the event of a no-deal.
"The draft regulations set out in this consultation are a concrete demonstration of our continuous support to this policy and the commitment made in the Clean Growth Strategy to 'keep step with equivalent product standards wherever possible and appropriate, or even exceed them where it is in the UK's interest to do so' after exit," the consultation document states.
The draft Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products (External Supplies) Regulations 2020 would update existing UK ecodesign requirements for external power suppliers in line with EU-wide regulations agreed by member states in January.
While most of the new EU ecodesign regulations are set to apply across member states from 2021, those covering energy-related products specifically are set to come into force from next year. The UK therefore intends to consult on the transfer the remainder of the EU eco-design package into UK law next year.