Household and commercial refrigerators: EU opens consultation on labeling and ecodesign

The European Commission has launched a new public consultation on energy labelling and ecodesign for refrigerators, including both the domestic and commercial sectors.

This initiative is of particular concern to the refrigeration industry, anticipating potential updates to requirements that will impact product design, performance, and positioning on the European market.

An open discussion on rules affecting refrigeration

The consultation is part of the process of reviewing European regulations governing the energy efficiency of refrigerated equipment .

The goal is to verify whether current criteria still accurately represent the performance of products available today, in a profoundly changed technological and regulatory context.

For refrigeration, the issue isn't just about consumption, but also how performance is measured, communicated, and compared. Energy labeling is a tool that guides the market and the choices of professionals, while Ecodesign defines the minimum requirements manufacturers must meet to access the European market.

Commercial refrigeration: real-world performance and contexts of use

In the commercial sector, the revision of the criteria raises particularly relevant questions.

The equipment used in shops, large-scale retail trade, restaurants, and laboratories operates under very different conditions than in the home, with frequent openings, variable thermal loads, and continuous operation.

The EU-initiated discussion aims to understand whether current evaluation parameters are adequate to reflect these operating conditions or whether a more real-world approach is needed. For the HVAC/R sector, this means addressing how to balance energy efficiency, cooling capacity, reliability, and service continuity , all of which are crucial in professional applications.

Ecodesign and life cycle: beyond energy consumption

Alongside labelling, the consultation also focuses on ecodesign principles, broadening the scope to include the entire life cycle of the equipment.

Issues such as durability, repairability, spare parts availability, and materials management are becoming increasingly relevant in a sustainability logic applied to refrigeration.

For manufacturers in the sector, this approach implies a design oriented not only towards immediate efficiency, but also towards the longevity and maintainability of the systems.

A shift in perspective that could impact construction choices and product development strategies for the European market.

What changes for the HVAC/R supply chain

The launch of the consultation also represents an important step for the refrigeration industry. The emerging findings could translate into new technical and performance requirements , with direct implications for the design, production, and selection of equipment.

For HVAC/R operators, the issue is not only regulatory, but strategic: understanding possible developments in advance allows them to prepare for a market increasingly oriented towards efficiency, sustainability, and performance transparency.

A context in which the technical value of refrigeration solutions becomes an increasingly relevant competitive factor.