Commercial Information Circulars

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

Ref : EIC 230/2/11

13 December 2010

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 576/2010

European Union (EU)* : Energy Labelling of Household Refrigerating Appliances

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 335/2010 dated 26 July 2010, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation concerning the energy labelling of household refrigerating appliances. Details are set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No. 1060/2010 (the Regulation), which can be accessed through the following link :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:314:0017:0046:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2. The Regulation establishes requirements for the labelling and provision of supplementary product information on electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances with storage volume between 10 and 1,500 litres, including those sold for non-household use or for the refrigeration of items other than foodstuffs, and built-in appliances. It is also applicable to electric mains-operated household refrigerating appliances that can be battery-operated. However, the Regulation is not applicable to the following refrigerating appliances:

-	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 appliance models;
-	refrigerating appliances for tertiary sector application where the removal of refrigerated foodstuffs is electronically sensed and that information can be automatically transmitted through a network connection to a remote control system for accounting;
-	appliances where the primary function is not the storage of foodstuffs through refrigeration, such as stand-alone ice-makers or chilled drinks dispensers.

3. Under the Regulation, there are responsibilities for refrigerating appliance suppliers and dealers. Particular responsibilities of the suppliers include ensuring that:

1. each household refrigerating appliance is supplied with a printed label in the format containing information as set out in Annex II of the Regulation;

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

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

4. any advertisement discloses energy-related or price information of a specific model of household refrigerating appliance shall contain the energy efficiency class; and

5. any technical promotional material of a specific model of household refrigerating appliance with specific technical parameters shall include the energy efficiency class of that model.

4. On the other hand, dealers of refrigerating appliances shall ensure that:

1. each household refrigerating appliance, at the point of sale, bears the label provided by suppliers as mentioned in para. 3 above. The label should be on the outside of the front or top of the appliance in a way to be clearly visible;

2. household refrigerating appliances offered for sale, hire or hire-purchase, are marketed with the information provided by the suppliers as set out in Annex V of the Regulation;

3. any advertisement discloses energy-related or price information of a specific model of household refrigerating appliance shall contain the energy efficiency class of that model; and

4. any technical promotional material of a specific model of household refrigerating appliance with specific technical parameters includes the energy efficiency class of that model.

5. To allow refrigerating appliance suppliers and dealers to have time to adapt to the responsibilities under the Regulation, household refrigerating appliance placed on the market before 30 November 2011 shall comply with Directive 94/2/EC of 21 January 1994 with regard to energy labelling of household electric refrigerators, freezers and their combinations. Except some provisions specified, the Regulation shall apply from 30 November 2011.

ENQUIRIES

6. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5500.

Yours faithfully,

 

(Ms Polly HO)
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.



Note ：

• (1) While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.
• (2)The biweekly newsletter "Business Alert - EU" of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council provides up-to-date information on the latest developments in EU trade policy and trade regulations. The newsletter is available for free e-subscription and can be accessed through
  http://www.tdctrade.com/alert/eualert.htm.