As part of the EU Commission’s ongoing revision to the Eco-Design Directive, pump manufacturers across Europe want to implement the extended product approach (EPA) for water pumps, which would cover the energy consumption of the entire pumping system.
The EU Eco-Design Directive aims to improve the environmental impact of energy-intensive products through optimal design. Europump, the European pump association, has determined that water pumps could reduce electricity consumption by 35 TWh from 137 TWh a year. This would make it possible to shut down four coal-fired power stations.
However, these enormous energy savings can only be achieved if the narrow product approach is abandoned in favour of an extended product approach. At present, the EU Commission is determined to stick with the narrow product approach for water pumps it adopted in 2009, in stark contrast to Europump, which, along with all its member organisations, supports the demand of European pump manufacturers to move from the narrow to the extended product approach for water pumps.
Frank Ennenbach, Chairman of the Standards Commission at Europump said: “We see a real danger that we will not save the 35 TWh that we could. We will then miss the opportunity to make a major contribution to sustainability and climate protection. We have everything we need. We just need the legislator to make the right decisions.”
