Energy efficiency requirements for household electric refrigerators, freezers and combinations

Recalling that the basic idea was to help prevent the greenhouse effect in accordance with the Rio commitments, the rapporteur, Mr MACARTNEY (ARE, UK), explained that the 15% improvement over two years in the efficiency of refrigerators and freezers was a compromise version of the initial proposal of 10% as well as of that proposed by the Committee on Research (20%). However, in the second phase the rapporteur anticipated an overall improvement of 20%. In the meantime the Commission and industry would be invited to negotiate voluntary agreements on this matter over a period of three and a half years. If no agreement were reached the Commission would present a new directive laying down the same level of energy output, which would enter into force five years after the adoption of the present directive. The rapporteur also proposed restricting the special treatment reserved for ‘tropical’ and ‘subtropical’ refrigerators to equipment with 4-star freezer compartments. Commissioner Papoutsis stated that he was prepared to accept those amendments that referred to the second phase of the scheme, along with an efficiency improvement of 15% in the first phase, the limits imposed for 4-star refrigerators and the setting of July 1995, instead of May 1990, for the definitions of European Standard EN153.