ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2022 - 44

Invasion of Ukraine Plunges EU Into Energy Crisis
AMCA EUROPE UPDATE
BY HASSAN ABOU JAWHAR, DIRECTOR, AMCA EUROPE AND AMCA MIDDLE EAST
F
ollowing Russia's invasion of
Ukraine, the European Union
(EU) finds itself in the midst of an
unprecedented energy crisis impacting all layers of
society. On both the union and member-state levels, steps
to transform Europe's energy infrastructure and system
are being considered.
One of the more concrete measures is REPowerEU
(https://bit.ly/REPowerEUPlan), presented by the European
Commission in May. The aim of the plan is to
" rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and
fast-forward the green transition, while increasing the
resilience of the EU-wide energy system. "
Fit for 55 (https://bit.ly/EU_Fit_for_55) is a package of
proposals to revise EU climate-, energy-, and transportation-related
legislation to reduce net greenhouse-gas
emissions by 55 percent or more by 2030.
On March 30, the European Commission published
a proposal for a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products
Regulation (https://bit.ly/Ecodesign_Regulation), one
extending the scope of the Ecodesign Directive from
energy-related products to nearly all categories of physical
goods. Aimed at enhancing the circularity, energy
performance, and other environmental-sustainability
aspects of products, the proposed regulation signifi -
cantly impacts the way products are designed. At the
end of 2022, we can expect the European Commission to
present a plan identifying requirements for high-priority
product groups.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 327/2011 (https://
bit.ly/EU_327), which concerns ecodesign requirements
for fans driven by motors with an electric input power
of 125 W to 500 kW, is undergoing revision. During the
second consultation forum on April 1, the European
Commission unveiled major changes related to scope,
defi nitions, formulas, resource effi ciency requirements,
required information, and allowances for reversible and
low-noise fans. The meeting was followed by a four-week
44
2022 AMCA inmot ion
public comment period. The new regulation is likely to
be approved during the fi rst half of 2023.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1253/2014 (https://
bit.ly/EU_1253), which concerns ecodesign requirements
for ventilation units, is in the fi nal stages of review.
Following the fi nal consultation forum on March 10,
the European Commission decided to launch a dedicated
technical-support study for further analysis of the
feedback collected from stakeholders. A fi nal meeting
is expected to take place in Brussels, Belgium, in the
coming months. During this year's spring meeting, the
most debated topics were the use of control factors for
the energy-label calculation and the proposed energy
label for residential ventilation units.
Revised in 2018, the Energy Performance of Buildings
Direct ive (https://bit.ly/EU_EPBD) will help
building and renovation objectives of the European
Green Deal (https://bit.ly/EU_Green_Deal) be met. The
updated directive aims to increase building renovation
rates, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and energy
consumption, and promote the uptake of renewable
energy in buildings. It would introduce a new defi nition
of " zero-emissions building " applicable to all new
buildings from 2027 and all renovated buildings from
2030. Additionally, it would accelerate energy-effi cient
renovations of the lowest-performing 15 percent of EU
buildings and set minimum energy performance standards.
Every building would need to achieve at least
a Class E rating on the revised A-G scale for energyperformance
certifi cates. Other provisions propose
building-renovation passports and a smart-readiness
indicator and extend building automation and
control systems. EU member states are in the process
of preparing national-policy measures to meet these
new objectives.
European AMCA will be active in all of these initiatives,
ensuring that the voice of the air-movement-andcontrol
industry is heard.
www.amca.org

https://www.bit.ly/EU_1253 https://www.bit.ly/EU_1253 https://www.bit.ly/REPowerEUPlan https://www.bit.ly/EU_Fit_for_55 https://www.bit.ly/EU_EPBD https://www.bit.ly/EU_Green_Deal https://www.bit.ly/Ecodesign_Regulation https://www.bit.ly/EU_327 https://www.bit.ly/EU_327 http://www.amca.org

ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2022

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