Commercial Information Circulars

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Ref : EIC 230/2/11

19 July 2013

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 576/2013

European Union (EU)* : Energy Labelling of Vacuum Cleaners

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 775/2012 dated 27 September 2012, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation concerning the energy labelling of vacuum cleaners. Details are set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2013 (the Regulation), which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:192:0001:0023:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2.The Regulation establishes requirements for the labelling and the provision of supplementary product information for electric mains-operated vaccum cleaners, including hybrid vacuum cleaners. However, it shall not apply to products listed in Article (1)(2).

3.Suppliers for vacuum cleaners shall ensure that:

1. each vacuum cleaner is supplied with a printed label in the format containing information as set out in Annex II of the Regulation. The format of the label shall be in accordance with either label 1 or label 2 of Annex II depending on the date that the vacuum cleaners are placed on the market, either 1 September 2014 or 1 September 2017 respectively;

2. a product fiche, as set out in Annex III of the Regulation, is made available;

3. technical documentation as set out in Annex IV of the Regulation is made available on request to the authorities of the Member States and to the Commission;

4. any advertisement disclosing energy-related or price information for a specific model of vacuum cleaner shall contain the energy efficiency class; and

5. any technical promotional material with the description of its specific technical parameters for a specific model of vacuum cleaner shall include the energy efficiency class.

4.As for dealers of vacuum cleaners, besides observing similar obligations of suppliers as stipulated in para. 3(iv) and (v), they shall also ensure that:

1. each vacuum cleaner, at the point of sale, bears the label provided by suppliers as mentioned in para. 3 above, displayed on the outside of the appliance or hung on it, in the way to be clearly visible; and

2. each vacuum cleaner offered for sale, hire or hire-purchase where the end-user cannot be expected to see the product displayed, is marketed with the information provided by suppliers as set out in Annex V of the Regulation.

5.To allow vacuum cleaner suppliers and dealers to have time to adapt to the responsibilities under the Regulation, except some provisions specified, it shall apply from 1 September 2014. As for water filter vacuum cleaners, it shall apply starting from 1 September 2017.

ENQUIRIES

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

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Anita WONG)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, 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.