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Current and upcoming ecodesign regulations

This section summarises the essential differences between the current and the upcoming ecodesign requirements mainly going into force from July 2025 onwards.

New types of requirements 

The new regulation includes some additional types of requirements as shown in the table below: 

Current regulation (EU) 932/2012 New regulation (EU) 2023/2533
Minimum energy efficiency
Minimum condensation efficiency for condenser dryers 
Maximum final moisture content 
Naming and functionalities of programmes 
User manual 
 
  • Specific requirements for low power mode consumption
 
  • Availability of a supplier’s free access website 
 
  • Availability of spare parts, reparability and repair and maintenance information 
 
  • Requirements for circumvention 
 
  • Requirements for software updates 

 

Main changes to the current requirements 

The main changes to the current requirements are as follows:  

  • Energy Efficiency
    The maximum EEI increases from 76 to 85. However, despite the higher number, the new requirement will be much stricter, because the calculation method was changed. Small dryers will be exempted from this requirement.  
    • Air-vented dryers and condenser dryers with a heat element above 3 kg capacity are not allowed to be placed on the market after the 1st of July 2025.  
       
  • Condensation Efficiency  
    The minimum condensation efficiency increases from 70% to 80%. The calculation method was changed by increasing the weight for half load from 57% to 76% and consequently reducing the weight for full load. 
     
  • Low Power Mode  
    The low power modes (e.g. off, standby, left-on, delay start) were excluded from the EEI calculation. New separate requirements for the individual modes will apply: 
    • Off-mode: 0,5W (after 9 May 2027: 0,3 W). 
    • Standby-mode: 0,5W (1W with info or status display; 2W with network standby). 
    • Delay start: 4W plus max. time: 24h. 
       
  • Naming of programmes  
    The “standard cotton programme” will be called “eco”. You can use the new expression already now, when you make sure by 30 June 2025 that the booklet for users and technical documentation refer to the standard cotton programme. 
     
  • Resource efficiency  
    New resource efficiency requirements have been added, which mainly address the availability of repair parts, tools and information. The following requirements will apply:  
    • Spare parts must be available for at least 10 years after placing the last unit of the tumble dryer model on the market. 
    • The list of spare parts, how to order them and repair instructions must be publicly available on a free-access website (amendment expected: this shall only be valid for spare parts available to consumers). 
    • The spare parts must be replaceable with commonly available tools and without permanent damage to the tumble dryer. 
    • You must provide a pre-tax price list of the spare parts on a free-access website. 
    • During the availability period of spare parts, you must ensure their delivery within 15 working days after having received the order. 
       
  • Circumvention  
    New requirements shall ensure that tumble dryers do not:
    • Alter their behaviour or properties during testing so that any declared value improves compared to normal operation, neither by inherent properties nor by automatic detection of a test cycle nor by applying specific test instructions by the supplier.  
    • Shortly after being put into service change their properties that worsens any declared value. 
       
  • Software Updates 
    New requirements concerning software updates were implemented to ensure that the performance and efficiency are not affected by software/firmware updates:
    • Free software and firmware updates must be available for at least 10 years after placing the last unit of the tumble dryer on the market. 
    • Software/firmware updates must not worsen any declared value. 
    • A rejection of software/firmware updates must not worsen any tumble dryer’s declared value either. 
       
  • Supplier’s website
    A new requirement is the presence of a free access website (i.e. no payment or registration/login is required) of the supplier. It must contain a list of spare parts incl. pre-tax prices in Euro, the procedure for ordering the parts and the repair instructions for spare parts available to the consumer (amendment expected: this shall only be valid for spare parts available to consumers). The following information elements need to be covered: 
    • On general information (3 points just to copy from the regulation, one on the network connection (in case the tumble dryers provides this) and one on how to find the product in EPREL). 
    • Values of rated capacity, programme duration, energy consumption per cycle, final moisture content after drying at full and partial load and noise emissions at full load for the eco-programme and (indicatively) for other programmes as well. 
    • Maintenance instructions.