Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/341 of 23 February 2021 amending Regulations (EU) 2019/424, (EU) 2019/1781, (EU) 2019/2019, (EU) 2019/2020, (EU) 2019/2021, (EU) 2019/2022, (EU) 2019/2023 and (EU) 2019/2024 with regard to ecodesign requirements (omnibus amendment)

Overview

The Regulation amends eight ecodesign regulations adopted in 2019 in a single text: servers and data storage (2019/424), electric motors and variable speed drives (2019/1781), refrigerating appliances (2019/2019), light sources (2019/2020), electronic displays (2019/2021), household dishwashers (2019/2022), washing machines and washer-dryers (2019/2023) and refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function (2019/2024). Reasons given include adding a definition of "declared values" to remove doubt about values in technical documentation and verification tolerances, and the principle that parameters must be measured with reliable, accurate and reproducible methods.

Article 1 makes three main changes to the servers and data storage regulation. Article 4(2) requires the technical documentation to contain the product information copy and the results of the Annex III calculations. Article 6 introduces the circumvention rule, banning products designed to detect testing and automatically alter performance. Annexes I, III and IV are amended and a new Annex IIIa is added; the definitions of motherboard, processor and memory are also widened to cover data storage products.

The recitals state that no harmonised standards exist yet for servers and data storage and that existing standards do not cover all regulated parameters, notably the operating condition class. Annex IIIa therefore sets transitional methods: ETSI EN 303470:2019 for server efficiency, active state performance, idle power and maximum power; the EPRI and Ecova generalized test protocol Revision 6.7 for PSU efficiency and power factor; NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 for secure deletion; and EN 45558:2019 for critical raw material content. Testing uses an appropriate EU voltage and frequency (e.g. 230 V, 50 Hz), and add-in cards that SERT does not exercise are removed for idle and active measurements.

Annex IIIa also describes how the operating condition class is verified. The manufacturer declares the class (A1, A2, A3 or A4); the unit is placed in a temperature chamber and raised at no more than 0.5 C per minute to the highest allowable temperature of the declared class, left idle for one hour to stabilise, and run with SERT test cycles for 16 hours. It complies if SERT reports valid results throughout the 16 hours. Idle power at the upper boundary temperature of the declared class refers to a Green Grid simplified high temperature idle power reporting method. Annex IV has authorities select three additional units for models produced in quantities of five or more per year and compare the arithmetic mean with the tolerance table.

Application dates are staged: Article 1(3) (the server Annex I, III, IV changes and Annex IIIa), 3(4), 5(6), 6(3), 7(4) and 8(3) apply from 1 May 2021; Article 2 and 4(4) from 1 July 2021; Article 4(1), (2) and (5) from 1 September 2021. Article 2 also amends the motor regulation 2019/1781, which matters indirectly for cooling plant: the text restates at least IE3 for three-phase motors of 0.75-1,000 kW and at least IE4 for 2, 4 or 6 pole motors of 75-200 kW that are not brake or explosion-protected. The other six regulations' amendments do not bear directly on data centre design.

Key points

1. One act amends eight regulations: 2019/424, 2019/1781, 2019/2019, 2019/2020, 2019/2021, 2019/2022, 2019/2023 and 2019/2024.
2. Because no harmonised standards exist for servers and data storage, transitional test methods (Annex IIIa) are added, including for the operating condition class.
3. Annex IIIa cites ETSI EN 303470:2019 for server efficiency, idle and maximum power; EPRI/Ecova protocol Rev. 6.7 for PSU efficiency and power factor; NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 for secure deletion; EN 45558:2019 for critical raw materials.
4. Operating class verification: unit in a temperature chamber raised at no more than 0.5 C/min to the class maximum, 1 hour idle, SERT run for 16 hours; valid SERT results mean compliance.
5. Article 6 bans products that detect testing and alter performance; Annex IV treats such a model as non-compliant.
6. A definition of "declared values" is added, and Annex IV states that verification tolerances may not be used by manufacturers to set the values in technical documentation.
7. Annex IV has authorities test three additional units for models produced in quantities of five or more per year and compare the arithmetic mean with the tolerance table.
8. Application dates: Article 1(3) and others from 1 May 2021, Article 2 and 4(4) from 1 July 2021, Article 4(1), (2) and (5) from 1 September 2021.
9. The 2019/1781 amendment restates at least IE3 for 0.75-1,000 kW three-phase motors and IE4 for certain 75-200 kW motors, relevant to cooling plant fan and pump motors.

Using it in design

• In equipment catalogue validation cite EN 303470 (SERT) as the test basis for server efficiency fields and record the declared operating class as tested.
• If a hall is designed around A3/A4 equipment, make the manufacturer's documentation of the class verification (16-hour SERT run at the class maximum temperature) a specification item.
• Store idle power at the upper boundary temperature of the declared class as a separate equipment field; it can feed IT load modelling in high inlet temperature scenarios.
• For motors and variable speed drives in cooling plant, note that 2019/1781 was amended by the same act and check IE3 (0.75-1,000 kW) and, for certain 75-200 kW motors, IE4.

Who should read it

Engineers and compliance specialists who verify ecodesign compliance, test methods or operating condition class declarations for servers and storage.

Document contents

1. Recitals (1)-(13)
2. Article 1: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/424
3. Article 2: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/1781
4. Article 3: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2019
5. Article 4: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2020
6. Article 5: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2021
7. Article 6: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2022
8. Article 7: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2023
9. Article 8: Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/2024
10. Article 9: Entry into force and application
11. Annex I: Amendments to Annexes I, III and IV of Regulation (EU) 2019/424 and Annex IIIa (Transitional Methods)
12. Annex II: Amendments to Annexes I, II and III of Regulation (EU) 2019/1781
13. Annexes III-VIII: Further amendments to the other regulations

Related standards

• Regulation (EU) 2019/424
• Regulation (EU) 2019/1781
• EN 303470

Read the document

Publication details

Authors

European Commission

Publisher

European Commission

Year

2021

Document number

Regulation (EU) 2021/341 (CELEX 32021R0341)

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Open licence — downloadable

Licence

EU reuse (2011/833/EU) — reuse permitted with acknowledgement of the source

Licence evidence

eur-lex.europa.eu

Citation