Business sectors

Standardization on the safety of household appliances is under the responsibility of CLC/TC 61 ‘Safety of household and similar electrical appliances’. This Technical Committee develops, in close cooperation with its international counterpart IEC/TC 61, standards containing safety requirements for more than 100 electrical appliances intended primarily for household use, but also for commercial use, such as those used in professional kitchens.
European Standards on the safety of household and similar electrical appliances (part of the EN 60335 series) are continuously adapted to align with the latest technological changes. Most of these standards are candidates for harmonization in support of European legislation.

In 2024, CLC/TC 61 will continue working on the European adoption of the latest IEC standards developed by IEC/TC 61. The TC will also start with the revision of EN IEC 62115 ‘Safety of Toys’ to implement the requirements of EU Decision of 24 October 2022 in support of Directive 2009/48/EC. Additionally, CLC/TC 61 will continue to focus on the alignment of their standards to European legislation (more precisely to the Low Voltage Directive – 2014/35/EU, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and Machinery Regulation 2023/1230/EU).

ECODESIGN

In the European Union, energy-related products are regulated by two Directives: the Ecodesign Framework Directive (2009/125/EC), which sets minimum requirements for such products to ensure their free movement within the internal market; and the Energy Labelling Framework Regulation (EU) 2017/1369, that enables consumers to make a better and more rational use of energy by informing them about the energy efficiency of products.

In March 2022, the European Commission published its Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI). At its heart is the revision of Directive 2009/125/EC on Ecodesign requirements for energy-related products: the plan is to transform it into a Regulation on the Ecodesign on Sustainable Products (ESPR), entailing sustainability requirements as one of the means to achieve the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan.

The objective of the Commission is to have products that are sustainable, reliable, reusable, and repairable. Standardization is one of the pillars that made the Ecodesign Directive a success over the years and CEN and CENELEC are committed, in 2024, to continuimg to contribute to the (new) Regulation’s implementation.

Indeed, CEN and CENELEC develop European Standards that provide dedicated methods for measuring the energy performance of various energy-related products against the compulsory values and thresholds laid down in the Regulations adopted by the European Commission.

Furthermore, CLC/TC 59X ‘Performance of household and similar electrical appliances’ makes European Standards on methods of measurement to help determine the performance of electrical appliances for household and commercial use.

Most of the products covered by CLC/TC 59X fall under the scope of several Ecodesign implementing regulations and energy labelling regulations adopted by the European Commission.

In this context, in 2024, CLC/TC 59X will continue to amend EN 61121, which describes the tests for the verification of the energy efficiency, condensation efficiency and noise level of tumble dryers. The objective is to align this standard to the provisions of the soon to be published Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations for tumble dryers. This will provide European consumers with valuable information and enable them to make an informed choice, eventually increasing the market for more energy efficient products.

In addition, the committee is involved in the green transition, and will pursue the development of EN 50731 ‘Durability – Measurement method for the assessment of the reliability of washing machines for household use’. This standard is a building block to assess the

durability of washing machines. It will push for the sustainable design of machines, the improvement of their environmental impact, and the use time for consumers, helping them to make informed purchase decisions.

GAS INFRASTRUCTURE

A series of CEN Technical Committees (TCs) develop standards for gas infrastructure, dealing with a variety of aspects: safety and energy efficiency, the optimization of installations and systems and the uptake of renewable gases and new technologies.

CEN/TC 235 ‘Gas pressure regulators and associated safety devices for use in gas transmission and distribution’ will finalize the amendment of an important standard specifying constructional, functional, testing, marking, sizing and documentation requirements for gas pressure regulators (EN 334).

At the same time, CEN/TC 238 ‘Test gases, test pressures, appliance categories and gas appliance types’ will continue to work on a standard (EN 437) on test gases, test pressures and appliances categories. This is a key document for the gas industry: hydrogen will now be considered first in a Technical Specification and then via its integration in the EN 437.

Furthermore, CEN/TC 238 will cooperate with CEN/TC 181 ‘Appliances and leisure vehicle installations using liquefied petroleum gas and appliances using natural gas for outdoor use’ on preliminary discussions about the usage of rDME (Dymethyl Ether) - LPG mixtures in appliances. These discussions are based on the fact that rDME can be produced from carbon feedstock and is therefore one of the available technical solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of LPG.