Introductory text

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Directive 2010/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related products^f1, and in particular Article 10 thereof,

Whereas:

Directive 2010/30/EU requires the Commission to adopt delegated acts on the labelling of energy-related products that have a significant potential for energy savings and a wide disparity in the relevant performance levels with equivalent functionality.

Space heaters with equivalent functionality including solid fuel boilers exhibit a wide disparity in terms of energy efficiency. The energy solid fuel boilers use to provide indoor space heating accounts for a significant share of the total energy demand in the Union. The scope for reducing the energy consumption of solid fuel boilers is significant and includes combining them with appropriate temperature controls and solar devices, and therefore packages of a solid fuel boiler, supplementary heaters, temperature controls and solar devices should also be covered by energy labelling requirements.

Boilers generating heat exclusively for providing hot drinking or sanitary water, boilers for heating gaseous heat transfer media, cogeneration boilers with an electrical capacity of 50 kW or more and non-woody biomass boilers have specific technical characteristics and should therefore be exempted from this Regulation.

Harmonised provisions on labelling and standard product information regarding the energy efficiency of solid fuel boilers should be laid down in order to provide incentives for manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of solid fuel boilers, to encourage end-users to purchase energy-efficient products and to contribute to the functioning of the internal market.

In order to provide consumers with comparable information on solid fuel boilers, a labelling scale should be introduced coherent with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 811/2013^f2. Taking the approach applied in that regulation to renewable energy would not promote energy efficiency in biomass boilers. Taking the approach applied to fossil fuels would for biomass not be consistent with the objective of promoting renewable energy under Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council^f3. It is therefore appropriate that this Regulation introduces a specific approach for biomass boilers, a ‘biomass label factor’ set at such a level that class A++ can be reached by condensing biomass boilers.

The information provided on the label should be obtained through reliable, accurate and reproducible measurement and calculation procedures which take into account recognised state-of-the-art measurement and calculation methods including, where available, harmonised standards adopted by the European standardisation organisations in accordance with the procedures laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f4, for the purpose of establishing ecodesign requirements.

This Regulation should specify a uniform design and content for the labels for solid fuel boilers.

In addition, this Regulation should specify requirements for the product and technical documentation for solid fuel boilers.

Moreover, this Regulation should specify requirements in respect of the information to be provided in case of any form of distance selling of solid fuel boilers and in any advertisements and technical promotional material for solid fuel boilers.

Where labels and product information are based on product fiches from suppliers it should be ensured that the end-user has easy access to information on the energy performance of packages of a solid fuel boiler combined with supplementary heaters, solar devices and temperature controls.

It is appropriate to provide for a review of the provisions of this Regulation taking into account technological progress,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: