Storage Cabinets: basic
information
1. WHAT IS THIS CONSULTATION ABOUT?
Possible mandatory requirements for non-household refrigerated storage cabinets, including:

Mandatory minimum energy efficiency requirements for placing on the EU
market (CE-marking) – see section 4.1 below

Mandatory energy labelling requirements (A-G classes) – see section 4.2 below.
2. BASIC RATIONALE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL
The market is largely driven by price and poor performing cabinets can be produced at low cost. Also
well-designed cabinets achieving significant energy savings are available, but it is hard for suppliers to
differentiate their products and justify any price premium. Hence it is proposed to eliminate least
energy efficient products through gradually rising mandatory minimum requirements and at the same
time encourage sales of more energy efficient equipment through mandatory energy labels.
3.
SCOPE OF THE ENVISAGED REQUIREMENTS
A non-household refrigerated storage cabinet is defined as:
An insulated cabinet integrating at least one condensing unit and one or more compartments accessible
via one or more doors and/or drawers, intended for the storage but not the display and sale of
refrigerated or frozen foodstuffs and intended for non-household purposes. It is cooled by one or more
energy-consuming processes.
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This includes the following categories:






Category VC: Vertical chilled cabinets
Category VF: Vertical freezer cabinets
Category HC: Counter, horizontal and under-counter chilled cabinets
Category HF: Counter, horizontal and under-counter freezer cabinets
Category FF: Fridge freezer cabinets
Category CHEST: Non-household chest freezers.
It is envisaged that the same requirements will apply to storage cabinets with transparent doors
(which are intended for the storage, but not the sale and display of foodstuff, and are therefore usually
located in storage areas, back shops, professional kitchens etc and not in retail areas). See question 7.
Excluded from the scope:
Cabinets operating with a remote condensing unit; open cabinets; open top preparation tables
and saladettes; cabinets that carry out food processing and not just storage function (e.g. bakery
cabinets that chill, heat and humidify); serve-over counters and any other form of cabinet
primarily intended for display and sale of foodstuff. See Question 2.1
Special provisions and exemptions


Built-in, roll in and roll-through cabinets and fridge freezers , See Question 2.2
Non-household static air cabinets would be submitted to the labelling and minimum
energy efficiency requirements of household refrigerators from January 2016. See
Question 2.3

Non-household chest freezer cabinets would be submitted to the labelling and minimum
energy efficiency requirements of household refrigerators from July 2014. See Question
2.4
Please see precise definitions of all these specific types of cabinets in Annex 1
4. ENVISAGED REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
4.1
PROPOSED ECODESIGN REQUIREMENTS
FOR CATEGORIES VC, VF, HC AND HF
Requirements Date of entry into ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
application
INDEX (EEI)
Comment
Tier 1
1 year after legal
entry into force
(January 2015)
EEI < 125
= Phase out of
Class G
Tier 2
2 years after legal
entry into force
EEI < 110
= Phase out of
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(January 2016)
Tier 3
Class F
4 years after legal
entry into force
(January 2018)
EEI < 100
= Phase out of
Class E
NB. This may be applied equally to models with transparent doors – See Question 7.
4.2
LABELS
All non-household storage cabinets falling in the scope of the definition above must have a designated
EU energy label from July 2014. The energy label A-G will be broadly similar in size and format to the
usual EU household appliance energy label.
Additional classes (A+, A++, A+++) above class A would be introduced in subsequent years, and lowest
classes are removed so that the label retains no more than 7 label classes (please see pictures and
explanations in Annex 1).
Suppliers shall provide a printed energy label with each cabinet in accordance with the regulation and
publicly accessible information about the energy labelling class of each cabinet.
Dealers (and/or suppliers where appropriate) shall ensure that storage cabinets are always presented
with the right energy label at the point of sale. The energy class of the model has to be included in
catalogues or any other promotional material describing the technical features of the product, as well as
in advertisement including energy-related and price information.
FOR CATEGORIES HC, HF, VC AND VF
Energy label class
A+++
A++
A+
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
EEI
EEI < 18
18 < EEI < 28
28 < EEI < 40
40 < EEI < 55
55 < EEI < 75
75 < EEI < 90
90 < EEI < 100
100 < EEI < 110
110 < EEI < 125
EEI > 125
Start date for
mandatory inclusion on
labels
(Note: Classes are
allowed to be displayed
before this date)
January 2018
January 2016
January 2015
July 2014
July 2014
July 2014
July 2014
July 2014
July 2014
July 2014
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Date from which class
shall not appear on
labels
(Note: Classes are
allowed to be omitted
before this date)
January 2018
January 2016
January 2015
5.
CALCULATION AND MEASUREMENT
For more details on calculation and measurement, please see Annex 1: Summary of Envisaged
Requirements and Test Method (available in English only).
5.1
CALCULATION OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX (EEI)
The EEI is the ratio between the Annual Energy Consumption of the specific model (usually measured
through testing) and a Standard Annual Energy Consumption calculated from a formula using the
volume of the specific cabinet (see below). EEI is expressed as a percentage.
EEI 
AEC
 100
SAEC
Where
AEC=E24h ×365
With AEC = Annual Energy Consumption of the cabinet in kWh/year
E24h = energy consumption of the cabinet over 24 hours
And
SAEC= M × Vn +N
With SAEC = Standard Annual Energy Consumption of the cabinet in kWh/year
Vn = net volume of the appliance, which is the sum of net volumes of all compartments of the
cabinet.
The net volume is defined as the volume containing foodstuffs within the load limit, minus the volume
of shelves and any internal fittings. It is measured as indicated in standard EN4411.
For fridge freezers, the net volume is replaced by the adjusted net volume
VA = Vn,ref + Vn,frz × 1.92
Where
1

Vn,ref is the sum of the net volume of all chilled compartments in litres

Vn,frz is the sum of the net volumes of all freezer compartments in litres
See section 3.7 of EN 441‐1: 1995. EN 441 has been superseded, but the replacement (EN23953) does not
provide an adequate definition for net volume the purpose of this regulation.
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
The factor 1.92 is from a standard thermodynamic ratio which provides the volume of
refrigerator compartment that consumes the same energy as a unit volume of the freezer
compartment.
M and N are given in the table below
Category
Value for M
Value for N
Vertical Chilled (VC)
1.643
609
Vertical Frozen (VF)
4.928
1472
Horizontal, counter and
under-counter Chilled
(HC)
2.555
1790
Horizontal, counter and
under-counter Frozen
(HF)
5.840
2380
Note: Values would have been given for fridge-freezers but insufficient evidence is available at present
to set robust requirements. This is under review.
5.2
WHAT IS THE TEST METHOD FOR MEASURING ENERGY CONSUMPTION?
It is expected that the measurement method will be similar to that developed by CECED Italia2 and
based on EN ISO 23953-2:2006 with the following features: Storage temperatures M1 (chilled) or L1
(frozen); ambient conditions to be Climate Class 4 (+30°C and 55% relative humidity); 48-hour duration
for the test; cabinet to be loaded as indicated in EN23953 (i.e. positioning of the M-packages inside the
cabinet during the test); door openings to follow the CECED Italia methodology
(http://www.ceceditalia.it/servlet/poba_bwffile?p_NodoID=6138).
The test methodology will be published by the end of 2013 at the latest.
2
This methodology is available from http://www.ceceditalia.it/servlet/poba_bwffile?p_NodoID=6138
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6.
WHAT SHALL BE DECLARED WHEN PLACING THE PRODUCT ON THE EU
MARKET?
From 1 July 2014, the following parameters shall be reported in the product documentation:

The intended use for storage (not display) of foodstuff

the declared category of the appliance according to the definitions of this regulation (e.g.
horizontal chilled cabinet, roll-in freezer cabinet, static air cabinet, semi-professional, etc.) .

Indication of any restriction on the product’s intended usage (e.g. semi-professional cabinets are
not appropriate for use in hot kitchens)

Net storage volume in litres and rounded to one decimal place. For refrigerator-freezer models,
the chilled net volume, the freezer net volume and the adjusted net volume shall be declared in
litres

Declared annual energy consumption in kWh per year to the nearest whole unit

Declared Energy Efficiency Index and associated energy label class

Explanation for users of how to minimise the energy consumption of the cabinet
Useful links:


European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/ecodesign
CECED Italia – the Italian trade association which has developed its own voluntary energy
labelling scheme with an associated test methodology www.ceceditalia.it
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