Under Directive 2009/125/EC energy-related products representing significant volumes of sales and trade, having significant environmental impact within the Union and presenting significant potential for improvement in terms of their environmental impact, without entailing excessive costs, are to be covered by an implementing measure or a self-regulation measure regarding ecodesign requirements.

The Commission has assessed the technical, environmental and economic aspects of ventilation units. The assessment showed that ventilation units are placed on the Union market in large quantities. The energy consumption in the use phase is the most significant environmental aspect of ventilation units, presenting significant potential for cost-effective energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

A distinction should be made between measures applying to residential ventilation units and those applying to non-residential ventilation units on the basis of their individual air flow rate because two different sets of measurement standards are used in practice.

Small ventilation units with an electric power input of less than 30 W per air stream should be exempted from the requirements of this Regulation, except for information requirements. Those units are designed for many different applications, predominantly working intermittently and with supplementary functions only, for example in bathrooms. Including those would represent a considerable administrative burden in terms of market surveillance because of large sales numbers, while contributing only to a small share of the energy saving potential. However, considering that they offer similar functionalities to other ventilation units, their possible inclusion should similarly be addressed in the review of this Regulation. Furthermore, ventilation units specifically designed to operate exclusively for emergency purposes or in exceptional or hazardous environments should also be exempted, as they are used rarely and for a short time. The exemptions also clarify that multifunctional units which predominantly heat or cool and kitchen range hoods are excluded. The Commission has carried out preparatory studies to analyse the technical, environmental and economic aspects of residential and non-residential ventilation units. The studies have been developed together with stakeholders and interested parties from the Union and third countries, and the results have been made publicly available.

The environmental parameter of the products covered which has been identified as the most significant for the purposes of this Regulation is energy consumption in the use phase. The annual electricity consumption of products subject to this Regulation was estimated at 77,6 TWh in the Union in 2010. At the same time, these products save 2 570 PJ on energy for heating space. In aggregate, using a primary energy conversion coefficient of 2,5 for electricity, the energy balance is 1 872 PJ primary energy of annual saving in 2010. Without specific measures, the aggregate saving is projected to grow to 2 829 PJ in 2025.

The preparatory studies show that requirements regarding the other ecodesign parameters referred to in Part 1 of Annex I to Directive 2009/125/EC are not necessary for ventilation units as energy consumption in the use phase is by far the most important environmental parameter.

The ecodesign requirements should be introduced gradually in order to provide a sufficient timeframe for manufacturers to re-design products subject to this Regulation. The timing should take into account the impact on costs for end-users and manufacturers, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, while ensuring that the environmental performance of ventilation units is improved without unnecessary delay.

Benchmarks for currently available ventilation unit types with high energy efficiency should be identified in the implementing measure on the basis of information gathered during the preparation of the measure, in order that manufacturers can make use of this assessment to evaluate alternative design solutions and the achieved environmental performance of the product against benchmarks. This will help to ensure a wide availability and easy accessibility of information, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises and very small firms, which will further facilitate the integration of best design technologies and facilitate the development of more efficient products for reducing energy consumption.

The Consultation Forum referred to in Article 18 of Directive 2009/125/EC has been consulted.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 19(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC,