The European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee will vote on the reform of the Enerrgy labelling Directive (COM2010/30) led by Italian EU rapporteur  Dario Tamburrano from the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group on June 14.

The committee’s discussion on a rather esoteric reform has largely centered on disagreements over when companies will have re-label appliances; if and how much information the Commission should store in a massive new database of products; and how often a product’s efficiency should be re-assessed.

The Commission proposed reforms of the European Union’s energy labeling rules in its Summer Package last year introducing a new system for grading appliances on a scale of A to G, from most to least efficient. That would replace the existing scale, that proved outdated,  leaving just A+++ to A+. The EP is split over the timeline, the GUE/NGL and Greens wanting fast action and EPP wanting to give the industry time to save costs.  Certain products, like space heaters, water heaters and boilers (including fuel cells), would have six years before they can be reviewed, and then re-labeled after that.  Not all agree on this timeframe either, “It’s possible some fossil fuel products could still be labeled with an A up to 2030, and we think that’s kind of a contradiction with our willingness to decarbonize,” said Stephane Arditi, a policy manager at the European Environmental Bureau. Member Staters reached a compromise with “white goods countries” like  Italy, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia watering down the EU Commission proposal.

(Photo: courtesy Elcore)