In the context of the European Ecodesign Directive, a Working Plan sets out a list of indicative products which are considered as priorities for study and, potentially, the adoption of implementing measures (such as a minimum efficiency requirement). A first Working Plan was published in October 2008 and provided an indicative list of product groups for the period 2009-2011, based on the outcomes of the Study for preparing the first Working Plan.

The Study for the second Ecodesign Working Plan started mid-November 2010, and will provide the background information and analysis which the Commission will use to establish an amended Working Plan under the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC, whose scope was enlarged to include energy-related products. This amended Ecodesign Working plan will cover the years 2012-2014 and will establish a list of energy-related product groups which will be considered priorities for the adoption of implementing measures under the Ecodesign Directive. The aim of the study is to identify some 25 energy related product groups, ranked by environmental improvement potential.

The draft report of Tasks 1 and 2 was published on the study website on February 18th 2011. In Task 1, the background and context of the study have been described and the methodology for performing the study explained. A list of energy-related product groups was created in Task 2. The first stakeholder meeting of this study will take place on 11th March 2011 in Brussels. Final results are expected to be delivered in October 2011.

The Methodology for the Ecodesign of Energy-using Products (MEEuP) was developed in 2005 to serve as a common methodology for evaluating various energy-using products in order to determine if an implementing measure is warranted.

With the enlargement of the Ecodesign Directive to include energy-related products, a new methodology must be developed. As such, the objective of the Study for the Update of the Methodology for the Ecodesign of Energy-related Products (MEErP) is:

• To review the effectiveness of the methodology and update the MEErP, which has been in use for the last 5 years in ecodesign studies and in the evaluation of implementing measures.
• To extend the Ecodesign Methodology to Energy-related Products (ErP) and evaluate whether and to which extent new energy-related products fulfill certain criteria for implementing measures under the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC/.

The study started in January 2001 and is expected to deliver final results in September 2011, but drafts of all documents have to be delivered before June 2011.

The Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission launched an invitation to tenders for a new series of product groups, divided into five lots. Their numbering continues the serie started in previous ecodesign preparatory studies:

• ENER Lot 27: Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
• ENER Lot 28: Pumps (extended product approach including motors, VSD and controls, where appropriate) for private and public waste water (including all stages including buildings, networks and treatment facilities) and for fluids with high solid content
• ENER Lot 29: Pumps (extended product approach including motors, VSD and controls, where appropriate) for private and public swimming pools, ponds, fountains and aquariums, as well as clean water pumps larger than those regulated under Lot 11
• ENER Lot 30: Products in motor systems outside the scope of the Regulation 640/2009 on electric motors, such as special purpose inverter duty motors (asynchronous servo motors), permanent magnet motors, motors cooled by their load (fans), including motors and products under Article 1, Points 2(b), (c) and (d) and including drives, such as soft starters, torque or variable speed drives (VSD) from 200W – 1000kW. The study should also cover motors in the scope of the Regulation 640/2009 from 750kW – 1000kW.
• ENER Lot 31: Products in motor systems outside of the scope of Lot 30 and the Regulation 640/2009 on electric motors, in particular compressors, including small compressors, and their possible drives.

Studies must analyse and make policy recommendations on the possible inclusion of the entire system, such as control technology and/or the load of the appliance, if separate from the appliance. The studies will also look into the advantages and disadvantages of regrouping existing and/or future implementing measures on products in motor systems.

The deadline for sending the tenders was February 4th 2011.