Switzerland: Draft Energy Efficiency Ordinance

 

Switzerland has published a new Draft Energy Efficiency Ordinance affecting several types of household devices.

The notified draft ordinance will set out stricter (1-6) or novel (7-8) minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for:

1. household refrigerators;
2. household tumble driers;
3. household dishwashers;
4. professional refrigerated storage cabinets;
5. electric hot water storage heaters;
6. centralized and decentralized electric heaters;
7. professional dishwashers
8. professional cooking appliances

in order to reduce their respective electricity consumption and increase the national security of electricity supply. The MEPS will lead to overall cost savings for consumers and businesses over the use phase of these products. Products not meeting these requirements will not be allowed to be placed on the Swiss market. A one-year transition period will allow the selling of non-compliant appliances that have been placed on the market before the date of entry in force.

The proposed date of adoption is 3 October 2022 and the proposed date of entry into force 1 January 2023.

The new ordinance seems to set more ambitious energy efficiency requirements than those from the equivalent EU legislation.

Increasing energy efficiency is one of the pillars of the Federal Council’s Energy Strategy 2050.  Against this background, the planned amendments to the Energy Efficiency Ordinance of November 1, 2017 (EnEV, SR 730.02) make adjustments to regulations for mass-produced vehicles and appliances. Most of the amendments concern tightening of the efficiency requirements for electrical appliances, which will strengthen electricity efficiency. As these tightenings go beyond the requirements currently in force in the EU, they constitute technical barriers to trade. According to the Federal Law on Technical Barriers to Trade, technical regulations in Switzerland may deviate from those of the EU as exceptions if overriding public interests so require.

Most of the amendments included in this revision lead to a better use of electricity efficiency potentials in electrical equipment. The adaptations in Annexes 1.1-1.5, 1.14-1.16, 1.18, 2.14 and 2.15 ensure that the appliances sold are more efficient and thus save electricity by setting ambitious minimum electricity efficiency requirements.

The more ambitious efficiency requirements compared to the EU are a technical barrier to trade. The changes incorporated in this revision use, as far as possible, the categories, terms and definitions used in the EU. This keeps the differences to the European regulations to a minimum and facilitates the enforcement of the new exemptions.