New European regulations on Ecolabelling and Ecodesign for biomass equipment

The regulations relating to the energy labeling of solid fuel boilers (lot 15) and local heating appliances (lot 20) were adopted by the Commission in April. Now the proposed regulations are in the control phase. At this stage the Parliament and the European Council still have the right to request amendments before publication. This monitoring period is likely to extend until July 2015.

The new Ecolabelling requirements will be mandatory in the EU from 2017.

In the case of biomass local heating appliances, a factor of 1.45 has been selected to apply to the label compared to the value of 1 for fossil fuel installations. This allows the best solid fuel local heating appliances to reach class A++.

The Ecodesign Regulations for Lot 15 (biomass boilers) and Lot 20 (solid fuel local heating appliances) have been adopted by the Commission in April, and will be published in a few months in the EU Official Document. Once published, they will be directly and fully applicable in all Member States of the European Union.

The Ecodesign Regulation for Biomass boilers will apply from January 1, 2020 to all boilers of less than 500 kW that use solid fuels. The requirements to be met from that date are based on class 5 of the UNE 303-5 standard. Regarding solid fuel local heating appliances, the entry into force is set from January 1, 2022 to all stoves less than 50 kW. Four types of equipment are distinguished: stoves, stoves that use pellets, kitchens and open equipment.

These and other legislative measures promoted within the EU are aimed at promoting the efficient use of fuels of renewable origin and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this way, the EU takes firm steps in its intention to achieve the ambitious objectives that have been set in the medium term.

The International Bioenergy Congress, organized by AVEBIOM, will address the legislative changes that will affect the sector in the coming years.

Block 2 of the Congress, called 'Towards a low-emission biomass sector', will show the main legislative changes that will affect the sector in the coming years: Royal Decree on the protection of the atmosphere, Ecodesign and Ecolabelling Regulations, New Directive on Gas Facilities Medium and Small Power, etc. The main technologies available to reduce and control emissions from biomass facilities and their practical application will also be presented.