The Energy using Products (EuP) Directive enters force in EU Member States on 11 August 2007. EuP is likely to have far wider long term implications than either WEEE or RoHS for the electrical products sector requiring ecodesign to become an integral part of business practice and in some cases CE marking. ERA provides expert advice on what these implications are and how to respond.

The EuP Directive - a brief guide

What is the EuP Directive?
The EcoDesign of Energy using Products (EuP) Directive (2005/32/EC) was adopted on 11 August 2005 and enters force in EU Member States on 11 August 2007. Unlike WEEE or RoHS which are narrowly focused on just one part of the product lifecycle, EuP seeks to reduce the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle.

To what products does EuP apply?
The scope of the EuP Directive is huge. It applies to products that use any form of energy including electricity, fossil fuels or renewable energy sources during the use stage of their life cycle and also includes (potentially) products that are used for generation, transfer or measurement of energy. It can also have implications for parts supplied to end-users and component and sub-assemblies. It does not however apply to transport (cars, planes, ships etc.).

More products are being considered. The focus is on volume and large energy in use products.

What products are likely to be affected first?
Twenty product groups are already the subject of investigation with a view to regulation. These include: boilers and combi-boilers, water heaters, PCs and monitors, copiers, faxes, printers, scanners, multifunction devices, TVs and set top boxes, standby and off-mode losses, battery chargers and external power supplies, office, domestic and street lighting, residential air conditioning and ventilation, electric motors (1-150 kW), commercial and domestic refrigerators and freezers, domestic dishwashers and washing machines, solid fuel small combustion installations, laundry dryers and vacuum cleaners.

More products are being considered. The focus is on volume and large energy in use products.

What are the implications for producers?
Until specific implementing measures are published (starting from 2008) it will not be clear exactly what requirements will apply but it is clear what the main items “on the menu” are. Central to this will be reduction of energy in use and integration of eco-design requirement within the product development cycle. This will require development of skills and changes to work practices and business processes- particularly if the requirements are invoked as part of CE marking.

Many business sectors, and countries are already taking unilateral voluntary/compulsory measures to respond to the growing demand for “greener” products. This is happening in all sectors including aerospace, military, industrial - not just consumer and domestic products.

As changes to individual product designs, product design procedures and company systems can take a long a long time to implement, it is prudent to be considering these issues sooner rather than later.

	direct consultancy on specific issues, business review, audit of new product design process and recommended action reports
	provision of bespoke electrical/electronic design services, new product design review including eco-design
	public training courses from ERA and industry experts
	bespoke in-house training courses
	ERA’s bimonthly newsletter RE4view covering all environmental regulation worldwide pertaining to the electrical products sector

All of these can be carried out on an individual or call off contract basis or through our subscriber scheme, AccessERA.

ERA’s credentials
ERA’s RFA group has been helping industry solve product related problems for over 40 years. Over this period ERA has developed extensive knowledge of component and sub system design, materials and processing. ERA is a also a longstanding provider of regulatory compliance support (e.g. RoHS, WEEE, EMC, safety) to government, the European Commission and industry and specialist leading-edge design services to industry. It is ERA’s experience that best practice engineering design coupled with a sound approach to regulatory requirements is a recipe for fast, low cost product development.