INTERNATIONAL COLUMN

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EU Pump Regulations
By Niels Bidstrup, Associate Member ASHRAE The efficiency of a circulator is depen-

B
dent on size. To achieve an EEI that is
eginning as early as Jan. 1, 2013, circulator pumps and water independent of size, Pref is not a constant,
but a function depending on the maxi-
pumps in the European Union will only be sold if they comply with mum hydraulic power of the circulators.
The function is:
a directive (2009/125/EC1) designed to reduce the environmental Pref = 1.7 × Phyd + 17(1–e–0.3Phyd),
1W ≤ Phyd ≤ 2,500 W
impact of energy-using products. The European Association of Pump
Requirements for Circulators
Manufacturers (Europump), a stakeholder in the directive’s eco-impact The ecodesign requirements for circu-
lators set out in commission regulation
evaluation process for circulators, established a joint working group 641/2009/EC are:
• From Jan. 1, 2013, glandless stand-
to coordinate input from circulator pump manufacturers. The prepara- alone circulators, with the exception of
those specifically designed for primary
tory study estimated the total environmental impact of circulators and circuits of thermal solar systems and of
heat pumps, shall have an energy effi-
defined potential implementation measures.
ciency index (EEI) of not more than 0.27.
The eco-impact evaluation (done by Energy-Efficiency Index • From Aug. 1, 2015, glandless stand-
AEA Technology 2) revealed that the The ecodesign requirements are based alone circulators and glandless circula-
environmental impact of a circulator on a classification developed by Euro- tors integrated in products shall have an
is dominated by use-phase electricity pump.4,5 The key element of the clas- EEI of not more than 0.23.
consumption. As a result, the ecodesign sification is the Energy Efficiency Index The EEI of circulators is to be indicated
requirements (set out in commission (EEI), which is calculated as: on the name plate and packaging of the
regulation 641/2009/EC) focus on energy product and in the technical documenta-
PL ,avg
efficiency requirements.3 EEI = ×C20% tion as: “EEI ≤ 0.[xx].”
Pref A benchmark for the most efficient
Circulators in Scope where C20% =0.49, so that 20% the circulators on the circulators is defined as EEI ≤ 0.20. The
Both standalone circulators and cir- market will be below EEI = 0.20 benchmark information is to be visibly
culators integrated in products are “in displayed on freely accessible websites
scope” of the directive. The following A compensation in the EEI calculation of circulator manufacturers.
definitions of “circulator” and “product” is given to circulators in thermal solar The compliance and verification of
apply: systems and heat pump systems due to compliance with the requirements of the
• A “circulator” means an impeller their special design. commission regulation will be based on
pump with a rated hydraulic output power PL,avg is the weighted average com- standardized measurement procedures
from 1 W to 2,500 W (2.9 Btu/h to 8,500 pensated power input based on an an- developed by the European Committee
Btu/h), designed for use in heating sys- nual load profile and compensated for on Standardization (CEN).7,8,9
tems or in secondary circuits of cooling control error.
distribution systems. Pref   is the reference power input and is Estimated Energy Savings
• A “product” is an appliance that the expected maximum power input of a Figure 1 shows the estimated energy
generates and/or transfers heat. high efficiency circulator. Pref was deter- consumption, saving potentials and the
Therefore, circulators integrated in mined by Technical University of Darm- related CO 2 emissions is 2012 and
boilers, solar systems, heat pumps, etc., stadt (Germany) based on a data collec- 2020 due to ecodesign requirements for
are included. tion from circulator manufacturers.6 circulators.

106 ASHRAE Journal a s h r a e . o r g May 2012

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Requirements for Water Pumps
The eco-impact evaluation of water
pumps was also done by AEA Technol-
ogy10 with Europump as a stakeholder
in the process.
For water pumps, the eco-impact
evaluation revealed that the envi-
ronmental impact of water pumps is
dominated by the use-phase electric-
ity consumption, which implied that
the eco-design requirements for water
pumps is focused on energy-efficiency
requirements.
The commission regulation for water
pumps is in the final stage of the legal
process11 and is expected to be adopted
by the Council and European Parliament
in May 2012. The ecodesign requirements
for water pumps concern the hydraulic
efficiency only. Ecodesign requirements
on the electric motor that drive the pump
are set out in Commission Regulation
640/2009.12
Water Pumps In Scope
Water pumps that are in scope are
rotodynamic pumps for pumping clean
water, including those integrated in other
products. A water pump is defined as the
hydraulic part of a device that moves clean
water by physical or mechanical action,
and is of one of the following designs:
• End suction own bearing;
• End suction close coupled;
• End suction close coupled inline;
• Vertical multistage; and
• Submersible multistage.
The following are not in the scope of
the commission regulation:
• Water pumps designed specifically
for pumping clean water at temperatures
less than –10°C (14°F) or above 120°C
(248°F), except with regard to some
product information requirements:
• Water pumps designed only for fire-
fighting applications;
• Displacement water pumps; and
• Self-priming water pumps.
Minimum Efficiency Index
The ecodesign requirements are based
on a Minimum Efficiency Index (MEI)
developed by Europump and the Technical
University of Darmstadt.13,14
108 ASHRAE Journal
Figure 1: Reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions due to ecodesign re-
quirements for circulators.
C-Value for MEI
Pump Type, rpm
MEI = 0.10 MEI = 0.40
End Suction Own Bearing, 1,450 rpm 132.58 128.07
End Suction Own Bearing, 2,900 rpm 135.60 130.27
End Suction Close Coupled, 1,450 rpm 132.74 128.46
End Suction Close Coupled, 2,900 rpm 135.93 130.77
End Suction Close Coupled Inline, 1,450 rpm 136.67 132.30
End Suction Close Coupled Inline, 2,900 rpm 139.45 133.69
Vertical Multistage, 2,900 rpm 138.19 133.95
Submersible Multistage, 2,900 rpm 134.31 128.79
Table 1: Minimum efficiency index (MEI) and its corresponding C-value, depending
on pump type and speed.
The MEI is based on the hydraulic Water Pump Ecodesign Requirements
pump efficiency measured at best ef- The ecodesign requirements for water
ficiency point (BEP), part load (PL) and pumps are:
over load (OL) for full impeller diameter As of Jan. 1, 2013, water pumps shall
with clean cold water. have a minimum efficiency:
The formula for calculating the re- • At the BEP of at least (ηBEP)min requ ,
quired minimum efficiency at best ef- calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0.1;
ficiency point (BEP) is: • A minimum efficiency at part load
(ηBEP)min requ = 88.59x + 13.46y of at least (ηPL)min requ calculated with
the C-value for MEI = 0.1; and
–11.48x2 – 0.85y2
• A minimum efficiency at over load
– 0.38xy – CPump Type,rpm
of at least (ηOL)min requ calculated with
where x = ln (ns); y = ln (Q) and ln = natural logarithm the C-value for MEI = 0.1.
and Q = flow in [m3/h]; ns = specific speed in [min-1]; C
= value found in Table 1 As of Jan. 1, 2015, water pumps
shall have:
The C value depends on the pump type •At the BEP of at least (ηBEP)min requ,
and nominal speed, and also the MEI value. calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0.4;
The requirements for PL and OL condi- •A minimum efficiency at part load
tions are set at slightly lower values than of at least (ηPL)min requ calculated with
those for 100% flow (ηBEP). the C-value for MEI = 0.4; and
a s h r a e . o r g May 2012
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•A minimum efficiency at over load
of at least (ηOL)min requ calculated with
the C-value for MEI = 0.4.
The compliance and verification of
compliance with the requirements of
the commission regulation are based on
standardized measurement procedures
developed by CEN.15
Estimated Energy Savings
Figure 2 shows the estimated energy
consumption, saving potentials and the
related CO2 emissions for the present and
in 2020 due to ecodesign requirements
for water pumps.
Conclusions
Circulators are mass-produced prod-
ucts. The preparatory study showed an
annual market of 14 million circulators
in the EU. This can be divided as:
•• 5.5 million small standalone
circulators;
•• 1 million large standalone circula-
tors; and
•• 7.5 million product-integrated
circulators.
The ecodesign requirements will imply
that only high efficiency speed controlled
circulators will be allowed to be placed
on the market. Circulator manufacturers
are preparing for that possibility. The
industry will be ready, but it will require
massive investments in development and
production facilities.
These requirements will lead to sav-
ings of 23 TWh (7.8 million MMBtu) in
the EU in 2020 with a reduction of 11
million tonnes of CO2 per year. This is
a significant environmental impact and
also a benefit for end users, who could
save up to 10% on their electricity bill.
The ecodesign requirements for water
pumps will imply that 40% of the worst
water pumps in terms of efficiency will
be prohibited from the EU market. The
savings of 3.3 TWh (1 million MMBtu)
per year will not prevent an increase in
energy consumption in 2020.
A new methodology for water pumps
is under development by Europump. The
Methodology, the Extended Product Ap-
proach, will be based on an EEI similar
to that for circulators. It will use the MEI
from the ecodesign requirements and will
110 ASHRAE Journal
Figure 2: Reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions due to ecodesign re-
quirements for water pumps.
include motors and variable speed drives.
The estimated saving potential for water
pumps based on the Extended Product Ap-
proach is 35 TWh (119 million MMBtu).
References
1. European Parliament and the Council of
the European Union. 2005. Directive 2005/32/
EC. http://tinyurl.com/2005-32.
2. AEA Energy and Environment. 2008.
Appendix 7, Lot 11: “Circulators in Build-
ings.” European Commission. http://tinyurl.
com/AEA2008.
3. European Commission. 2009. Com-
mission Regulation (EC) No 641/2009,
Implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council
With Regard to Ecodesign Requirements for
Glandless Standalone Circulators and Gland-
less Circulators Integrated in Products. http://
tinyurl.com/641-2009.
4. Bidstrup, N., et al. 2003. Classification
of Circulators. Europump. http://tinyurl.com/
Bidstrup-Circulators.
5. Bidstrup, N., et al. 2003. “Classifica-
tion of Circulators.” Proceedings of the
EEDAL’03.
6. Ludwig, G., M. Roth. 2008. “Results
of Circulator Labeling Revision.” Technical
University of Darmstadt.
7. CEN (European Committee for Stan-
dardization) prEN 16297-1, Pumps. Rotody-
namic Pumps, Glandless Circulators, Part
1: General Requirements and Procedures for
Testing and Calculation of Energy Efficiency
Index (EEI).
8. CEN (European Committee for Stan-
dardization) prEN 16297-2, Pumps, Rotody-
namic Pumps, Glandless Circulators, Part 2:
Calculation of Energy Efficiency Index (EEI)
for Standalone Circulators.
a s h r a e . o r g May 2012
9. CEN (European Committee for Stan-
dardization) prEN 16297-3, Pumps, Rotody-
namic Pumps, Glandless Circulators, Part 3:
Energy efficiency Index (EEI) for Circulators
Integrated in Products.
10. AEA Energy and Environment. 2008.
Appendix 6, Lot 11: “Water Pumps (In Com-
mercial Buildings, Drinking Water Pumping,
Food Industry, Agriculture).” European Com-
mission. http://tinyurl.com/A6-Lot11.
11. European Commission. 2010. COM-
AC_DRC(2011)D018886-02_EN: Commis-
sion Regulation (EU) No …/.. Implementing
Directive 2009/125/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council With Regard
to Ecodesign Requirements for Water Pumps.
http://tinyurl.com/D018886-02.
12. European Commission. 2009. Com-
mission Regulation (EC) No 640/2009
Implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council
With Regard to Ecodesign Requirements
for Electric Motors. http://tinyurl.com/
EC640-2009.
13. Bartoschek, M., N. Bidstrup, M. Teepe.
2007. “Energy Efficiency Evaluation of
Pumps in Europe—Europump’s Proactive
Approach to the Energy Using Products
Directive.” Proceedings of the EEMODS’07.
14. Roth, M., et al. 2007. “A Method to De-
fine a Minimum Level for Pump Efficiencies
Based on Statistical Evaluations.” Technical
University of Darmstadt.
15. CEN (European Committee for Stan-
dardization) N 464, Minimum Required Ef-
ficiency of Rotodynamic Water Pumps and
Methods for Qualification and Verification.
Niels Bidstrup, Ph.D., is chief engineer
at Grundfos Management A/S, in
Bjerringbro, Denmark.