Commercial Information Circulars

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Ref : EIC 230/4/1

26 November 2007

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 447/2007

European Union (EU)* : Community Eco-label Award Scheme

The European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Decision to establish the ecological criteria for the product group "electrically driven, gas driven or gas absorption heat pumps" under the Community Eco-label Award Scheme. Details are set out in the Commission Decision 2007/742/EC (the Decision). The Decision can be accessed through the following link : 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_301/l_30120071120en00140025.pdf

DETAILS

2. Under the Decision, the product group is defined to comprise electrically driven, gas driven or gas absorption hear pumps, with a maximum heating capacity of 100kW, and which can concentrate energy present in the air, ground or water into useful heat, for the supply of space heating or the opposite process for space cooling. Heat pumps which can only provide hot water for sanitary use or extract heat from a building and eject it to the air, ground or water for space cooling are excluded.
   
   
3. To qualify for the Community eco-label, the product concerned must meet specific ecological criteria on certain areas including efficiency in heating mode, efficiency in cooling mode, refrigerant, secondary refrigerant, noise, heavy metals and flame retardants, installer training, documentation, spare parts availability and information fiche. The ecological criteria will be valid until 9 November 2010.
   
   
4. With the adoption of the ecological criteria for electrically driven, gas driven or gas absorption heat pumps, the number of product groups (excluding those in the service sector) covered by the Scheme has expanded to twenty-three (viz. laundry detergents, light bulbs, washing machines, copying and graphic paper, refrigerators, tissue paper products, dishwashers, soil improvers and growing media, indoor paints and varnishes, bed mattresses, textile products, footwear, personal computers, portable computers, detergents for dishwashers, all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities, hand dishwashing detergents, televisions, hard floor coverings, vacuum cleaners, lubricants, soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners and electrically driven, gas driven or gas absorption heat pumps). Details of the Eco-label Award Scheme and the definition and the ecological criteria of its product groups can be found in the European Commission's Eco-label website at
   http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm.
   

ENQUIRIES

5. For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Cyrus NG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.