Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/2/11

26 August 2009

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 436/2009

European Union (EU)* : Ecodesign Requirements for Household Refrigerating Appliances

Further to Commercial Information Circulars No. 331/2005 of 17 August 2005 and No. 198/2009 of 17 April 2009, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation specifying the ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances. Details are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 643/2009 (the Regulation), which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:191:0053:0068:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2. The Regulation specifies the ecodesign requirements, conformity assessment and verification procedures on electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances with a storage volume up to 1,500 litres. However, the Regulation is not applicable to the following items:

   • -refrigerating appliances that are primarily powered by energy sources other than electricity, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene and bio-diesel fuels;
   • -battery-operated refrigerating appliances that can be connected to the mains through an AC/DC converter, purchased separately;
   • -custom-made refrigerating appliances, made on a one-off basis and not equivalent to other refrigerating models;
   • -refrigerating appliances for tertiary sector application where the removal of refrigerated foodstuffs is electronically sensed and information can be automatically transmitted through a network connection to a remote control system for accounting; and
   • -appliances where the primary function is not the storage of foodstuffs through refrigeration, such as stand-alone ice-makers or chilled drinks dispensers.

3. Details of the eco-design requirements are set out in Annex II of the Regulation, which cover energy efficiency, information to be provided, and other generic ecodesign requirements on various functions provided. These requirements shall be implemented in several stages starting from 1 July 2010 to 1 July 2015. Compliance with the ecodesign requirements shall be measured and calculated according to the methods set out in Annexes III and IV.

ENQUIRIES

4. For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Peggy LEUNG)
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.