Post on 23-Mar-2022
Horizon 2020 programmeProject acronym: ANTICSSProject full name: ANTI-Circumvention of Standards for better market Surveillance
Closing all roads to CirCumvention of eu eCodesign and energy labelling legislation and standards FINAl rePorT
Document published: 15 september 2021organisation name of lead author of this document: oeko-institut e.v.Project coordinator: Kathrin graulich
3final report – september 2021
table of Content
1 / summary: Key results at a glance 5
2 / aim and importance of the antiCss project 8
3 / Where circumvention may happen: scope and model selection 10
4 / beyond defeat devices: a broader understanding of circumvention and jeopardy effects 12
5 / Tracingcircumvention:Theneedfor‘modified’testprocedures 15
6 / from practice: antiCss results of laboratory testing 17 6.1/Dishwashers–specificloadinginstructions 19
6.2/Washingmachines–specificoptimisationatfullandhalfratedcapacity 20
6.3/Ovens–volumemeasurementwithoutshelfguides 21
6.4/Ovens–automatictemperaturereductionfunction 22
6.5/Refrigeratingappliances–screenswitch-offfunction 24
6.6/Televisions–automaticbacklightreductionfunction 25
7 / from individual models to a general risk: basic behaviours and gateways to circumvention 27
8 / What is lost: impacts of circumvention 28
9 / What we achieved: antiCss contributions to anti-circumvention 31
10 / the way forward: role and responsibilities of relevant actors 34 10.1/Industryandproductmanufacturers 34
10.2/Policymakersandstandardisationorganisations 35
10.3/MarketSurveillanceAuthoritiesandtestlaboratories 36
11 / still to do: further need for research 38
Contacts 40
ThisprojecthasreceivedfundingfromtheEuropeanUnion’sHorizon2020researchandinnovationprogrammeunderGrantAgreementNumber785122.Thesoleresponsibilityforthecontentofthisdocumentlieswiththeauthors.ItdoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionoftheEuropeanUnion.NeithertheCINEAnortheEuropeanCommissionareresponsibleforanyusethatmaybemadeoftheinformationcontainedtherein.
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abbreviations
adCo AdministrativeCooperationGroups
antiCss Projectacronym:Anti-CircumventionofStandardsforbettermarketSurveillance
Cold Householdrefrigeratorsandfreezers(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
Cv circumvention
disH Householddishwashers(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
drier Householdtumbledriers(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
eC EuropeanCommission
eCo nameofaprogramme,e.g.indishwashers
ed Ecodesign
eei EnergyEfficiencyIndex
el Energylabelling
en EuropeanStandard
eu EuropeanUnion
faQ FrequentlyAskedQuestions
gWh gigawatthour
Heaters Spaceheaters/air-to-waterheatpumps(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
iCsms internet-supportedinformationandcommunicationsystemforthepan-Europeanmarketsurveillanceoftechnicalproducts
ieC InternationalElectrotechnicalCommission
kg kilogram
km kilometre
kWh kilowatt-hour
msa MarketSurveillanceAuthority
ngo non-governmentalorganisation
oven Ovens(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
raC Roomairconditioners/air-to-airheatpumps(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
t tons
tJ Terajoule
tv Televisions(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
W watt
WasH Householdwashingmachines(productcategoryanalysedinANTICSS)
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1 / summary: Key results at a glanCe
aim and importance of the antiCss projectTheEuropeanUnion’sHorizon2020researchand innovationprogrammefunded in2018-2021theprojectANTICSS – Anti-Circumvention of Standards for better market Surveillanceconductedby19partnersofeightcountries,comingfromresearchorganisations,EnergyAgencies,MarketSurveillanceAuthorities(MSAs),testlaboratoriesandNGOs.Triggeredbythedieselscandal,inwhichvehiclescontainedacertaindefeatdevicethatguaranteedcompliancewithemissionlimitsduringthetestconditionswhileemissionsinpracticeweremuchhigher,themainobjectiveoftheANTICSSprojectwasathoroughinvestigationonwhethersuchmanipulationsarealsopossibleunderEUecodesignandenergylabellinglegislation,includingcapacitybuildingandmitigationmeasures.
Where circumvention may happenManipulation of products or test instructions (circumvention) as well as exploitation of loopholes andweaknessesofregulationsandstandards(jeopardyeffects)toreachmorefavourableresultsspecificallyinthetestsituationalsohappensunderEUecodesignandenergylabellinglegislation.Inprinciple,anyoftheproductcategories covered by ecodesign and/or energy labelling regulations could be affected. ANTICSS analysed8 productcategoriesinmoredetailwherein18suspectcases,eitherhintsforcircumventionbehavioursorjeopardyeffectsbecameapparent.Amongthesameproductcategories,24modelsweretestedbyANTICSSinlaboratoriesand6ofthemshoweda kindofcircumventionbehaviour.
beyond defeat devices ANTICSSclearlyshowsthatcircumventioncannotbeachievedonlybyautomatic detection of the test situation and alteration of the product performance specifically during testingasalreadydefinedandprohibitedinsomeEU ecodesignandenergylabellingregulations.StickingstrictlytothatdefinitionwouldrestricttheMSAcontrastactionsagainstanyformofcircumvention.MostcasesdetectedinANTICSSrefertoa pre-set or manual alteration of the product affecting the performance or resource consumption during testing. Especiallyageneralreferencetofollowing manufacturer’s instructionsgiveninsomestandardsopensthedoorforpossiblemisuse:manufacturersmayrequirethatspecifictestinstructions,preparationsorpre-treatmentsoftheappliancesareusedspecificallyonlybythetestlaboratoriesthathavenocomprehensiblejustification(e.g.technicalorsafetyreasons),butareaimedatachievingmorefavourableresultscomparedtootherproductsthatdonotfollowsuchinstructions.Insomecases,thespecificproductinstructionsmayalsobeaddressedtobothtestlaboratoriesandconsumers,withthefavourableresultsachievedbothinthetestsituationandduringconsumers’usage,butforthelatteronlytheoreticallyorin(extremely)infrequentsituations.Inthissituation,still,thedesignoftheproductorthetestinstructionsseemtobefinalisedtoreachmorefavourableresultsinthetestsituation.ANTICSSclassifiedthosecasesasjeopardy effectsandtestedmodelswiththesetestresultsasborderline to circumvention.
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Inothercases,pre-setpossibleoperationalmodesorfunctionsofproductsmayleadtoajeopardyeffectifthefunctionreducedtheenergyconsumptionwhichisfullytakenintoaccountintheharmonisedstandardtestsbutisconsideredrarelyapplicabletoreallife.Forexample,TVsthatdetectfastchangingcontentandreactwithabacklightreductiontobetterfollowrapidscenechangesand/ordepictingalargeamountofmotionsuchassportsprogrammesthatareconsideredbysomeexpertsasalmostneverbroadcastinreallife.Orrefrigeratorswiththedisplayofacontroller,providingadigitalclockactivatedeachtimethedoorisopenedanddisabledafter24hwithoutdooropenings.Thisfunctionsavesenergywhentheconsumerisabsentforaholidayperiod,butthedisplayisalwaysactivatedindailyuseoftheappliance.Thedeclaredenergyconsumptionmeasuredwith the digital clock deactivated (as captured by the specific test conditionswhich does not include anyopeningofthedoors),representsthemostefficientmodeoftheapplianceandisnotprovidingagoodproxioftheactualuseandenergyconsumptionduringreallife.The ANTICSS project provided also a clear delimitation of circumvention and jeopardy effects from non-compliance,useofgoldensamples,productsdesignedforbeingoutofscope,smartproductsingeneralaswell as software updates. In addition, ANTICSS has also clarified that circumvention and jeopardy effectsshouldnotbeconfusedwiththefactthatstandardsmaynotalwaysreflecttypicalconsumeruse,i.e.missingrepresentativenessofstandards,andfor thisreasonthevaluesmeasuredunderreal-lifeconditionsmaybedifferentfromtheclaimedperformances.
What is lost AccordingtoANTICSS,thediscoveredactsofcircumventionandborderlinetocircumventionintheproductcategoriesofwashingmachines,dishwashers,ovens,refrigeratingappliancesandtelevisionscouldsumupfrom395TJ(inthelowestoptionofthemore realistic scenario)to5,982TJ(inthemoretheoreticalextensive scenario)ofpotentialprimaryenergysavingsthatcouldbepotentiallylosteachyear,correspondingto13,300upto201,800tonsofCO2equivalents.Overthetotallifespanoftheappliancesthiswouldamounttoaround2.4 milliontonnesofCO2equivalents.Nottoforgetfurthersevereimpactsofcircumvention:marketdistortions,unfaircompetitionamongmarketeconomicactors, lossofreputationfor individualmanufacturersorentireindustriesaswellaslossofconsumers’trustintheoveralleffectivenessofEuropeanlegislationandstandards.
tracing circumventionWhentestedaccording to the testconditiondefined in theharmonisedstandards,atfirstglanceaproductappearstocomplywithallrequirements.However,thisisbecausetheproductitselforitssettingshavebeenmanipulated,i.e.thetestresultsareinfluencedinsuchawaythattheybecomemorefavourableofwhattheywouldbewithoutanymanipulation.Forthisreason, it israther impossibletodetectcircumventionthroughlaboratorytestingunderharmonisedstandardsspecifications.OneofthemostimportantfindingsoftheANTICSSprojectistheneedforanewapproachforcomplianceverification, able to specifically address circumvention suspicions. The main characteristics of this newprocedureproposedbyANTICSSisthedevelopmentof‘modified’measurementmethods:onlytheparameter(s)ofthestandardtestconditionsconsideredpronetoorundersuspectofmanipulationwereslightlyvaried.Atthesametime,themodifiedtestmethodswerestilldesignedtobeascloseaspossibletothemethodsinharmonisedstandardswiththeaimofensuringcomparabilitybetweenthetwosetsofmeasurementresults.Infact,onlyunderthecomparabilityofthetwomethodsaninexplicablylargevariationinameasurementresult(s)canbeconsideredasanindicationofapossiblecircumventionbehaviourofthetestedproduct.
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the way forwardTocloseallroadstocircumvention,themainrecommendationfromANTICSStoEUpolicymakersandEuropeanStandardisationOrganisationsareto: extendthelegaldefinitionofcircumventioninecodesignregulationsandtheframeworkenergylabelling
regulationtocover–andthereforeforbid–alsotheothersituationsencompassedintheANTICSSdefinitionofcircumvention:(i)pre-setormanualalterationoftheproduct,affectingperformanceand/orresourceconsumptionduringtestand(ii)pre-setalterationoftheperformancewithinashortperiodafterputtingtheproductintoservice;
specifyinharmonisedstandardstheconditionsforthesettinganduseofmanufacturer’sinstructionsforlaboratorytesting,andclarifythattheirmisuse,i.e.theuseofsuchinstructionsforaspecificset-upoftheproductinordertoachievemorefavourabletestresultsisforbidden;
specifyunderwhichconditionsmodifiedtestmethodsaimedatindicatingthepresenceofcircumventionarelegallyusablebyMarketSurveillanceAuthoritiesduringthecomplianceverificationofproductsandconstitutethelegalbasisforaneventualenforcementactionagainstcircumventingmodels;and
regularlyanalysetheapplicationoflegislationandstandardstoidentifyloopholesandotherweaknessesthatmayleadtojeopardyeffectsormightevenfacilitatecircumvention.
further need for research EvenifalothasalreadybeenachievedbytheANTICSSprojectthereisstillsomefurtherneedforresearch: Furtherfinetuningofthedefinitionofcircumvention,especiallythespecificationofthetypesofpre-set
ormanualalterationoftheproductthatshouldbeconsideredasacircumvention. FurtherdevelopmentoftheANTICSSclassificationofcasesandmodels,especiallythecategorisation
andconsequencesofjeopardyeffectswithtestedmodelsresultingintoborderlinetocircumvention. Furtherdevelopmentofmodifiedtestmethods(e.g.randomisedtestpatterns)includingtheassessment
oftheirreproducibilityandrepeatability,andthedefinitionof‘circumventiontolerances’. ‘Resilience check’ of current standards, i.e. the analysis of which of the test parameters could be
randomisedorslightlymodifiedwithoutinfluencingthetestresultsfortheregulatoryrequirements. Analysisoflatestlegislationandstandardsfor(new)loopholesandweaknessesthatmightfacilitate
circumvention,includingtheanalysisoffurtherproductcategoriesnotyetinfocusofANTICSS. Establishingaregularcommunicationorcollaborationplatformengagingallrelevantstakeholdersto
exchangeexperiencesoncircumvention.
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2 / aim and importanCe of tHe antiCss proJeCt
Ecodesign legislation sets mandatory minimum energy efficiency requirements for many products on theEuropeanmarket. The indication of the energy efficiency and consumption on the energy label alongwiththe functionalperformancemakes iteasier forconsumers tochooseenergy-efficientandmoreperformingproducts.TheecodesignproductspecificregulationsunderDirective2009/125/ECcovermorethan25productgroups, including household appliances, lighting, heating and air-conditioning equipment, information andcommunicationtechnologiesand,increasingly,industrialequipment.TheEuropeanCommissionestimatesthatthesetwopolicyinstrumentstogetherhavecontributedtoabouthalfoftheenergyefficiencytargetfor2020.Consumersalsobenefitfromtheregulations:havinginstalledmoreefficientandperformingappliancesintheirhouseholds,benefitofareducedenergybill,loweringthewaterconsumption.Ontheotherhand,theEuropeanCommissionestimatesthat10-25%ofproductsputontheEUmarketdonotfullycomplywithenergyefficiencylabellingregulationsandaround10%ofpotentialenergysavingsmaybelostduetonon-compliance1.AccordingtotheSpecialReportEU action on ecodesign and energy labelling: important contribution to greater energy efficiency reduced by significant delays and non-compliance of the EuropeanCourtofAuditorsthiswouldroughlycorrespondtothefinalelectricityconsumptionofSwedenandHungarycombined2.Thereasonsfornon-complianceincludeamissingorincorrectenergylabel,non-compliancewithinformationrequirements,aswellasincorrectclassificationoftheenergyclass.While reasonsfornon-compliancewiththerequirements,andthepossible remedialmeasureshavealreadybeenwellanalysed,the issueofcircumventionofstandardsandrequirementsoftheecodesignandenergylabellinglegislationthroughmanipulatedtestresultshasonlyfewyearsagostartedtoreceiveduepoliticalattention.Triggeredbythedieselscandal,inwhichvehiclescontainedacertaindefeatdevicethatguaranteedcompliancewithemissionlimitsduringthetestconditionswhileemissionsinpracticeweremuchhigher,theinvestigationonwhethersuchmanipulationsarealsopossibleunderotherEUlegislationswasenvisaged.
1 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MeMo_19_15962 https://www.eca.europa.eu/lists/eCADocuments/Sr20_01/Sr_ecodesign_and_energy_labels_eN.pdf
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
LOGIN
ANTICSS project to be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference on June 6th, 2018 The project actions and achievements will be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference in Brussels, on June 6th. The project will be pre-sented within the " Effective Market surveillance for large industrial products as a contribution to overall energy efficiency and energy savings in the EU" presentation.
ANTICSS Focal point meeting in Italy: 11 May 2018The second national focal point meeting of the project in Italy will take place on May 11, 2018 in Milano.
ANTICSS project to be presented at Fan 2018 conference The project activities will be presented at the international FAN 2018 conference, organised on April 18.–20., 2018 in Darm-stadt, Germany.
TEAM AND CONTACTS
ADVISORY BOARD
HELPDESK
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
FAQ
NEWSLETTERS
EVENTS DOCUMENTS AND DELIVERABLES
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIPTION LOGIN
ANTICSS ON TWITTER #10-05-2018#22:25ANTICSS FOCAL POINT MEETING IN ITALY: 11 MAY 2018, THE SECOND NATIONAL FOCAL POINT MEETING OF THE PROJECT IN ITALY WILL TAKE PLACE ON MAY 11, 2018 IN MILANO.
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
Project introduction PROJECT NEWS
MAY 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS project to be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference on June 6th, 2018 The INTAS project actions and achievements will be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conferen-ce in Brussels, on June 6th. The project will be presented within the " Effective Market surve-illance for large industrial products as a contri-bution to overall energy efficiency and energy savings in the EU" presentation.
MAR 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS Focal point meeting in Italy: 11 May 2018The second national focal point meeting of the project in Italy will take place on May 11, 2018 in Milano.
JAN 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS project to be presented at Fan 2018 conference The project activities will be presented at the international FAN 2018 conference, organised on April 18.–20., 2018 in Darm-stadt, Germany.
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
FAQ
NEWSLETTERS
EVENTS
DOCUMENTS AND DELIVERABLES
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIPTION LOGIN
ANTICSS objectives are to assess and define "circumvention" in order to achieve a better product positioning in relation to EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards; inclu-ding clear delimitation from other effects to facilitate unambiguous public communication. Its aims are also to collect, analyse and learn from cases of circum¬vention by literature research and dedicated expert interviews, as well as analysing existing EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and standardisation for possible loopholes. The potential relation between circumvention and "smart" products with specific embedded software is another issue addressed by the project. From these findings, conclusions how to better detect and prevent future circumvention will be derived; assessing impacts 'if' and 'how much' energy consumption and/or functional performance modifications could be ascribed to circumvention by conducting appli-ance testing. Project’s further objectives are to define alternative test procedures or check lists with the aim to by-pass any possible measurement circu-mvention. Based on the results, ANTICSS will provide practical capaci-ty building measures for key actors of market surveillance and test laboratories, support communication and collaboration platforms between major stakeholders and provide policy recommendations for policy makers and standardisation bodies to prevent future circum-vention under EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling. ANTICSS project was also designed to provide reliability to manufactu-rers by specifying potentially vague legislation and standards which might be interpreted differently by market actors and some of them taking unfair advantages so far. By overall awareness raising on circumvention among stakeholders, ANTICSS is supporting an effective EU legislation enforcement and thus increasing acceptance and trust of market actors and civil society into the Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation.
FAQ
What are your main questions about products, energy efficiency, market surveillance, Ecodesign, energy labels and circumvention? Find out answers to these questions below.Do contact the project organisers if you want to know more! What are the ANTICSS project key objectives?
ANTICSS objectives are to assess what "circumvention" actually is and how relation to EU eco-design and energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards (measurement methods harmonised for purpose of product conformity) can be circumvented in order to achieve a better product positioning. Its objectives are also to under-stand 'if' and 'how much' energy consumption and/or functional per-formance modifications could be ascribed to circumvention; and 'how' circumvention attempts could be unmasked via the definition of new specific procedures or check lists, modified test conditions, "sentinel" parameters to be screened, etc. and to make recommendations for setting a clearer policy and enforcement framework.
What scope of activities ANTICSS project organises?
ANTICSS firstly aims to define what circumvention is in relation to EU Ecodesign and energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards. It then investigates how they can be circumvented in order to achieve a better product positioning. The project team collects and discusses evidence on circumvention cases, following up with a limi-ted number of physical testing of selected product models along with engineering analysis.
What product categories are being investigated?
An initial selection of product categories and types has been done in the early project phases, researching mostly among the following household appliances: vacuum cleaners, wash appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, washer-dryers, tumble dryers), refrigerating appliances (wine coolers, mini bars), cooking appliances (ovens, range hoods) and other products (TV and/or another product, if considered appropriate). The final selection of product categories and types that will be analysed/tested will be done throughout the project on the basis of information gathered within the project research.
Could you be more specific about the project methodology to detect possible circumvention?
The ANTICSS methodology is simple but effective. The starting point is the elaboration of a detailed definition of what "circumvention" means among the different definitions that might be given by different stakeholders. The list below includes topics that are addressed by the project in order to assess the meaning of "circumvention": hidden software (defeat devices) (hidden) specific cycle/setting/configuration used only for testing for legislation compliance products specifically designed to be excluded from legislation, also exploiting ambiguities in the legislation itself
Sample of an embedded chart, diagram or schema
ANTICSS project team will analyse the results of its investigations and will define recommendations for policy makers and standardisation, to identify circumvention risks and to perform loophole identification testing, thus allowing preparing better circumvention-proof standards and legislation before adoption.
A second outcome will be a complete set of guidelines on "How to detect and avoid circumvention of eco-design and energy labelling legislation and standards", targeted to all market economic and non--economic actors and MSAs for a more effective EU legislation enforce-ment. Note that at the end of the project, the tested models will as much as possible donated free to charity. Only if the discovered circu-mvention will severely decrease the declared performance in a way to make the models non-compliant with the eco-design requirements the specific models will be disposed (according to the national waste
By providing reliability to manufacturers through specifying potentially vague legislation and standards which might be interpreted differently by various market actors and some of them taking unfair advantages so far.
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTERMARKET SURVEILLANCE
Co-funded by the Horizon 2020Programme of the European Union
CONTACT USHere will be all contactinformation, address, any other contacts. The green sign „at“ – e-mail will be activ: By one click you can start to write e-mail.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement Number 785122. The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not necessa-rily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EASME nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
PROJECT NEWS
MAR 6TH, 2018
MAY 6TH, 2018
JAN 6TH, 2018
Team and contacts
Project coordinator
Ms. Kathrin GraulichDeputy Head of Sustainable Products and Material Flows DivisionOeko-Institut e.V. P.O. Box 17 71 | 79017 Freiburg GermanyEmail: K.Graulich ATT oeko.dewww.oeko.de
PROJECT COUNTRIES
List of project partners
Österreichische Energieagentur – AEA AustriaBundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft - BMWFW Austria
European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation – ECOS BelgiumService public federal sante publique, securite de la chaine alimentaire et environnement – BHTC Belgium
Camera di commercio industria artigianato agricoltura - CCIAA Mi ItalyAgenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo eco-nomico sostenibile – ENEA ItalyIstituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità S.p.A. - IMQ Italy
Fundacion para el fomento de la innovacion industrial - FFII-LCOE Comunidad de Madrid – CM Spain
SEVEn, the Energy Efficiency Center, z.u. – SEVEn Czech Rep.Státní energetická inspekce – SEIA Czech Rep.
Regierung von Schwaben – Gewerbeaufsichtsamt – GRS GermanyRheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn – Ubonn GermanyVDE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH – VDE Germany
Re/gent B.V. - Re/gent NetherlandsNederlandse voedsel en warenautoriteit - NVWA NetherlandsAdene-agencia para a energia - ADENE Portugal
Autoridade seguranca alimentar e economica - ASAE Portugal
Advisory Board
What are your main questions about products, energy efficiency, market surveillance, Ecodesign, energy labels and circumvention? Find
TEAM ANd CoNTACTS
Ms. Kathrin Graulich Senior Researcher Öko-Institut e.V. Postfach 17 71 | d-79017 Freiburg Germany Email: k.graulich@oeko.de
projeCT pArTNerS
projeCT CoordINATor WWW.ANTI-CIrCuMveNTIoN.eu
@ANTICIrCuMveNT
eNeAAgenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l‘energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile CCIAA Mi Camera di commercio industria artigianato agricoltura
IMQIstituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità S.p.A.
AdeNeAdene-agencia para a energia
ASAeAutoridade seguranca alimentar e economica
FFII-LCoeFundacion para el fomento de la innovacion industrial
CM Comunidad de Madrid
eCoSEuropean Environmental Citizens organisation for
Standardisation
BHTCService public federal sante publique, securite de la
chaine alimentaire et environnement
re/gentRe/gent B.V.
NvWANederlandse voedsel en warenautoriteit
SevenSEVEn, the Energy Efficiency Center, z.u.
SeIAStátní energetická inspekce
AeAÖsterreichische Energieagentur
BMWFWBundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft
GrSRegierung von Schwaben – Gewerbeaufsichtsamt
ubonnRheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn
vdeVdE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH
The sole responsibility for the content of this leaflet lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the reflect the opinion of the European Union. Co-funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union under grant agreement no. 785122.
FINAl rePorT – SePTeMber 2021
9final report – september 2021
Againstthisbackground,theEuropeanUnion’sHorizon2020researchandinnovationprogrammefundedin2018-2021 theprojectANTICSS – Anti-Circumvention of Standards for better market Surveillance conductedby19partnersofeightcountries,comingfromresearchorganisations,EnergyAgencies,MarketSurveillanceAuthorities(MSAs),testlaboratories,andconsumerorganisations.
The overall objective ofANTICSSwas to assess anddefine circumvention in relation to EU ecodesign andenergylabellinglegislationandrelevantharmonisedstandards,clearlydelimititfromothereffects,assessitspotentialimpactsonprojectedenergysavings,supportcapacitybuildingforMarketSurveillanceAuthoritiesandtestlaboratoriesandfinally,providerecommendationsforEUpolicymakersandEuropeanStandardisationOrganisationstofacilitatetheidentificationandpreventfuturecircumventionoftheEUlegislation.TheANTICSSprojectwasalsodesignedtosupportmanufacturersbyidentifyingpotentiallyvaguepointsinlegislationandstandards,whichmightbeinterpreteddifferentlybymarketactors,withsomeofthemtakingunfair advantages so far. By overall awareness raising on the topic of circumvention among stakeholders,ANTICSS intendedsupportingan effectiveEU legislationenforcement and thus increasingacceptanceandtrustofmarketactorsandcivilsocietyintotheecodesignandenergylabellinglegislation.
Assessanddefinecircumvention, delimit from other effects
Asses,howmuchenergycouldbe lost through circumvention
Definealternativetestprocedures to detect circumvention
Capacity building measures for key actors of market surveillance and test laboratories
recommendations for policy and standardisation
goals and obJeCtives of tHe antiCss proJeCt
Avoidingenergylosses fromnon-compliance
Increasingconfidenceamongpurchasers,manufacturers
andretailers
Contributingtotheenforcement ofEUproductlegislation
andsettingaclearerpolicy andenforcementframework
10final report – september 2021
3 / WHere CirCumvention may Happen: sCope and model seleCtion
Inprinciple,circumventionmayhappeninanyoftheenergy-relatedproductcategoriescoveredbyecodesignand/orenergylabellingregulations.TheANTICSSprojectdecidedtoexcludefromitsactionstheproductcategoriesthatwerenotcoveredbyaproductspecificregulationonecodesignorenergylabelling(i.e.productgroupswithVoluntaryAgreements),productgroupswhichnolongerhadamarketrelevance(i.e.almostzerosalesfrom2020onwards),andproductcategorieswherenoharmonisedstandardsortransitionalmethodsarepublishedontheEUOfficialJournal.Basedon literature research,analysisofexistingecodesignandenergy labelling legislationandstandards,aswell as a broad stakeholder consultation, approaching in total 278 experts frommanufacturers,MarketSurveillanceAuthorities,testlaboratoriesaswellasconsumerandenvironmentalNGOs,39casesofproductsuspectbehaviourwerecollected.Afteraninitialevaluation,21casesweredeemedasrelatedtonon-compliant,compliant or duplicated cases. The remaining 18 cases belonging to 8 different product categories wereanalysedindetailandforeachproductcategory3differentmodelswereselectedtobetestedinthepartnertestlaboratories.
How to target products with a high probability of having a circumvention behaviour ANTICSShascompiledthefollowingpatternsorsuspicioushabitstobeconsideredwhentargetingproductsmorepronetocircumvention:
Hidden software (defeat devices) Software solely reacting to test situation Features with no function Specificfactorysettings Functions/sensors and internet connectivity ...
With reference to the appliances
Standardswhichreferto‘followspecificmanufacturer instructions‘ only for labs
Standards which allow different interpretations (e.g. deviations in testing condition(s) allowed)
Standards which allow decoupled measurement of energy consumption and functional performances
Ifnostandardfortestingisdefined ...
With reference to standards
Specificfactorysettings Specifictestinstructionsonlyfortestlabs Specifictestanduserinstructions,only
applicable in exceptional situations ...
With reference to product information to be provided by the manufacturer Specificconditionsthatratherdeviatefrom
typical user behaviour (e.g. dishwasher: the test has to be done by using an eCo programme)
regulations with detected loopholes and weaknesses (ambiguities such as unclear definitions,boundaries)
Missingspecificationinregulations ...
With reference to regulations
Patternsorsuspicioushabitstobeconsideredwhentargetingproductsmorepronetocircumvention
11final report – september 2021
TheselectionprocedureappliedwithinANTICSSwasspecifically targetedatfindingapplianceswithahighprobabilityofhavingacircumventionbehaviour.Thismeansthattheultimategoaloftheprojectwasnottoassess (non-)compliance to other regulatory requirements, but rather to identify if and how circumventionoccurs.Incase thespecificbrand/modelwas referred to in thesuspectcase reported toANTICSS, thismodelwasselectedfortestingwithintheproject.Alternatively,whennospecificbrand/modelwasknown,themainsearchfocusedonmodelswith the technical featuresorpeculiaritiesassociated to theproduct reportedwith thesuspectedbehaviour.To avoid unnecessary redundancy, itwas assured that the threemodels to be testedwere not too similar(e.g.variationsofthesameproductmodelwithinthesamebrand),orequivalent(e.g.samemodelsoldunderdifferentbrand/modelnames).Modelswithahigherenergyefficiencyclasswereprimarilyselectedastheyweredeemedtobemorelikelypronetocircumventionduetohigherpressureonthemanufacturertoachievethehighestpositioningofthesemodels.
ANTICSSmodelselectionprocedurespecificallytargetedatfindingapplianceswithahighprobabilityofhavingacircumventionbehaviour
brand/model from antiCss cases
Use product-comparisonwebsite
Filter fortechnicalfeatures
Filter foryear&retailer
Qualitycheck= =Shortlist (&randomisation)
final selection of 3 models & purchasing
model seleCtion
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4 / beyond defeat deviCes: a broader understanding of CirCumvention and Jeopardy effeCts
Aftertheissueofcircumventionenteredthepolicyagenda,aspecificarticleoncircumventionwasintroducedintheEUecodesignregulationspublishedfrom2019onwards:
CircumventionThe manufacturer, importer or authorised representative shall not place on the market products designed to be able to detect they are being tested (e.g. by recognising the test conditions or test cycle), and to react specifically by automatically altering their performance during the test with the aim of reaching a more favourable level for any of the parameters declared by the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative in the technical documentation or included in any of the documentation provided.
ArticleoncircumventionusedintheEUecodesignregulationspublishedfrom2019onwards Thefocusisonproductsprogrammedtorecognisethetestsituationandautomaticallyoptimisetheperformanceand/orresourceconsumptionwhentheyaretested.Inaddition,Recital(35)andArticle3oftheenergylabellingframeworkregulation(EU)2017/1369explicitlymentionthatmethodsandstandardsshoulddeterintentionalandunintentionalcircumvention,andprohibittheinclusionofsoftwareorhardwarethatautomaticallyalterstheperformanceofaproductintestconditions.The ANTICSS project has extensively investigated the possibilities for circumvention. Based on literatureresearch, analysis of existing legislation and standards on ecodesign and energy labelling, as well as thecasesofsuspiciousproductbehaviourcollectedduringthestakeholderconsultation,theanalysisshowedthatcircumventiondoesnothappenonlybyautomaticallydetectingthetestsituationandchangingtheproductperformanceduringthetest,asalreadyprohibitedinsomeecodesignandallenergylabellingregulations.Bettertestresultscanalsobeachievedbymakingcertainpre-settingsormanualalterationstotheproductthatapplyduringthetestsituation.Often,harmonisedstandardsincludeageneralreferencetomanufacturer’sinstructionstoallowthepreparationoftheproductforthelaboratorytest.Thiscanbenecessary,e.g.forsafetyreasonsor repeatabilityand reproducibilityof the test results.However, if such instructionsareprescribedexclusivelytotestlaboratorieswithoutacomprehensiblereasonandaltertheproductbehaviourtooptimiseitsperformancespecificallyundertesting,theANTICSSprojectidentifiesthisasamisuseofmanufacturer’sinstructionsandanactofcircumventionaswell.A third way of circumvention could be by programming products to show very good energy efficiency orfunctionalperformanceand/or resourceconsumptionfor thetime inwhichaconformityverificationtest isexpected,orforapredefinednumberofcycles.AtthetimeofplacingonthemarkettheproductisprogrammedinawaytomakeitcompliantifselectedbyaMarketSurveillanceAuthorityforcomplianceverification,butthentoautomaticallychangeitsperformanceacertaintimeafteritisputintoservice.Theautomaticmodificationdoesnottakeplaceduringtheperiodinwhichtheverificationofthecomplianceisexpected,butonlyafterwards,forexampletoeasetherestrictionsimposedbycompliancewiththeregulatoryrequirementsandmaketheproductmoreattractivetoendusersinthereal-lifeuse,butalsolessefficientorperformingcomparedtowheninitiallyplacedonthemarket.Thesoftwareresponsibleoftheautomaticmodificationisalreadypresentinthedeliveredproduct,i.e.notprovidedsubsequentlyviaasoftwareupdate.
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Onthebasisofallcollectedinformation,theANTICSSprojectdevelopedamorecomprehensivedefinitionofcircumvention,includingallthreeidentifiedpossibleroutes:
Circumvention is the act of designing a product or prescribing test instructions, leading to an alteration of the behaviour or the properties of the product, specifically in the test situation, in order to reach more favourable results for any of the parameters specified in the relevant delegated or implemented act, or included in any of the documentations provided for the product.
The act of circumvention is relevant only under test conditions and can be executed, e.g.,a) by automatic detection of the test situation and alteration of the product performance and/or
resource consumption during test, orb) by pre-set or manual alteration of the product, affecting performance and/or resource consumption
during test or c) by pre-set alteration of the performance within a short period after putting the product into service.
ANTICSSdefinitionof circumvention InseveralofthecasescollectedbytheANTICSSprojecttheproducts’behaviourwasnotclearlyattributabletotheabovedefinitionsofcircumventionbutwasneverthelessstillsuspicious.Againstthisbackground,theANTICSSprojectdevelopedtheconceptofjeopardyeffects.Theserefertoproductbehaviourthatisnotcircumventionandthuscannotbeconsiderednon-compliantbutallowsadistortionofthetestresultsduetotheexploitationofloopholesorotherweaknessesinstandardsorregulations.
Jeopardy effects encompass all aspects of products or test instructions, or interpretation of test results, which do not follow the goal of the EU ecodesign and/or energy labelling legislation of setting ecodesign requirements and providing reliable information about the resource consumption and/or performance of a product.
These effects may be not classified as circumvention but become possible due to loop holes or other weaknesses in standards or regulations.
ANTICSSdefinitionof jeopardy effects
ThecasesofsuspectedproductbehavioursinitiallyreportedtotheprojectbyMarketSurveillanceAuthorities,test laboratories or other stakeholders, were differentiated and classified by ANTICSS between hints forcircumventionandjeopardyeffectsasshowninthebelowpicture:
Hints for circumvention (case level): Initially reported cases where the suspected behaviour leads to more favourable results exclusively during the test situation but not during consumers’ use in real life. If such act was then proven by laboratory testing in ANTICSS, the tested model (product level) is categorised as circumvention .
Examplesarespecifictestinstructionsprovidedexclusivelyfortestlabs,(hidden)softwaresolelyreactingtothetestsituation,orspecificfactorysettingsnotrevertingafterchangingthesettingsinthemenu.
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Jeopardy effects (case level): Initially reported cases where the suspect behaviour occurs both in the test situation and in real life, but to the latter applicable only theoretically or in (extremely) rare situations. If such act was then proven by laboratory testing in ANTICSS, the tested model (product level) is categorised as borderline to circumvention .
Examplesarespecifictest instructionsalso includedintheusermanual instructions;orenergyorresourcesavingsoftwareortechnologieswhichareonlyapplicableinexceptionalcasesinreallife,whereastheyarefullyconsideredinthetestsituation.Theseactsarenotrelevantonlyundertestconditions,butnevertheless,thedesignoftheproductorthetestinstructionsresultinmorefavourableresultsespecially,butnotexclusively,inthetestsituation.
On theotherhand,notevery initiallysuspectedcasewascategorisedascircumventionor jeopardyeffect.TheANTICSSprojectprovidedcleardelimitationsofcircumventionandjeopardyeffectsfromnon-compliance,missing representativenessofstandards,goldensamples,productsdesigned forbeingoutofscope,smartproductsingeneralaswellassoftwareupdates.
Morefavourableresults
SpecificonlytotestsituationBothintestsituationandconsumeruse,
buttothelatterapplicableonlytheoreticallyand/orin(extremely)raresituations
Morefavourableresults
Notmore favourableresults
Notmore favourableresults
STANDARD ≠ ALTERNATIVE STANDARD ≈ ALTERNATIVE STANDARD ≠ ALTERNATIVE STANDARD ≈ ALTERNATIVE
Circumvention Nocircumvention
Hint for circumvention
Case / suspicious behaviour
Jeopardy effect
Borderlineto circumvention Nocircumvention
e.g.,specifictestinstructionsexclusivelyfortestlabs;(hidden)softwaresolelyreactingtotestsituation;specificfactorysettingsnotrevertingafterchangingsettingsinthemenu
e.g.,specifictestinstructionsalsoincludedinusermanualinstructions;smartfunction/energysavingsoftwareortechnologyspecificallyappliedintestsituationbutalsoapplicableinreallifeinexceptionalcases
GeNe
rAl
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l (C
ase)
ProD
UCT
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ANTICSSdifferentiationbetween‘hintsforcircumvention’and‘jeopardyeffects’andrespectivecategorisationoftestedmodelsto‘circumvention’or‘borderlinetocircumvention’
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5 / traCing CirCumvention: TheneeDfor‘moDifieD’TesTproceDures
Circumvention is a special case of non-compliance MarketSurveillanceAuthoritiescandetectthenon-compliancebyinspectingtheproductdocumentationand/orbylaboratorytesting,usingthemeasurementmethodsdefinedintheharmonisedstandards.Theinformationandtestresultsarecomparedwiththerequirementslaiddowninlegislationandthesamestandards.Iftheydonotmeettheserequirementstheproductisnon-compliant.Incaseofcircumventiontheproductdoesnotimmediatelyappeartobenon-compliant.Theproductappearstocomplywithallrequirementswhentestedaccordingtotheapplicableharmonisedstandards.However,thisisbecausetheproductitselforitssettingshavebeenmanipulatedsothatthetestresultsareinfluencedinsuchawaythattheyturnoutmorefavourablepreciselyundertheharmonisedstandardtestconditions.Forthisreason,itisratherimpossibletodetectcircumventionbehaviourwiththestandardmeasurementmethodsharmonisedfortheregulations.ThisisoneofthemostimportantfindingsoftheANTICSSprojectasitshowstheneedforanewapproachtocomplianceverificationthatrequiresthedefinitionof‘modified’measurementmethods.
AnTicssmodifiedtestmethodsANTICSSdevelopedandappliedmodifiedtestmethodsforseveralsuspiciouscasesthatwereinitiallycollectedorreportedtotheproject.Themaincharacteristicsofthemodifiedtestmethodsspecificallyaddressingcircumventionarethatonlytheparametersofthetestconditionsoftheapplicableharmonisedstandard(s)consideredpronetomanipulationorunder suspectofmanipulationare slightly varied.At thesame time, themodified testmethodsare stilldesigned to be as close as possible to the harmonised standards, with the aim of ensuring comparabilitybetweenthetwosetsofmeasurementresults.
GeneralexamplesofAnTicssmodifiedtestmethods
standard test condition potential circumvention AnTicssmodifiedtestmethod
ratherfixedambientconditions (e.g. narrow voltage,frequency,ortemperature ranges)
Appliances might be programmed in a way to detect being under test and automatically alter the performance togainmorefavourableresultsspecificallyduringstandard test conditions.
Slight variation of the ambient conditions. ANTICSSexamples:householdtumbledriers,householdwashingmachines,householdrefrigerators and freezers
Testingatfixedloads(rather few load points specifiedinthestandardtest conditions)
Appliances might be programmed in a way to detect these standard load points and automatically alter the performancetogainmorefavourableresultsspecificallyduring standard test conditions.
Slight variation of the standard load points. ANTICSS example: washing machines
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GeneralexamplesofAnTicssmodifiedtestmethods
standard test condition potential circumvention AnTicssmodifiedtestmethod
Possibility ofspecificinstructions or accessories applicable under standard test only
Appliances might achieve the declared performance parametersonlyunderthespecificinstructions.
Testing without or with slightly changed specificinstructionsoraccessories.ANTICSSexamples:householddishwashers,householdrefrigeratorsandfreezers,householdtumbledriers,ovens.
testing at factory settings
Appliances might be programmed in a way to achieve morefavourableresultsspecificallyatinitialfactorysettings during standard test conditions whereas these results will not be achieved after changing the settings inthemenuforthefirsttimeandresettingtothefactorysettings again.
Testing with slight deviations from the factory settings and afterwards testing at reset factory settings. ANTICSS example: televisions.
decoupled testing ofenergyefficiencyand performance measurement
Appliances might be programmed in a way to detect being under test and being optimised to achieve more favourableresultsspecificallyregardingtheenergyefficiencybyreducingornotfulfillingtheproduct’sperformance during that (separate) test cycle.
Testingtheproduct’sperformancealsoduringtheenergyefficiencytestcycle. ANTICSS example: ovens.
Cycle based appliances tobetestedforadefinednumber of test rounds as specifiedintherelatedstandards
Appliances might be programmed to perform the pre-set numberofcycleswithconsumingsignificantlylessresources and automatically alter the properties after this number of standard cycles.
Testing a certain number of cycles beyond thedefinednumberofcyclesinthestandard. Not tested within ANTICSS.
ItmustbenotedthatwithintheANTICSSprojectnoanalysiswasdevelopedtoprovethatthemodifiedtestmethodsdeliver(i)repeatableandreproducibleresultswhichare(ii)directlycomparablewiththeresultsachievedwith the harmonised standards. Nevertheless, according to the ANTICSS project‘s experts the specificallychosenandwelldocumenteddeviationsoftheANTICSSmodifiedtestmethodsfromtheharmonisedstandardsdonotgenerallyresultintosubstantialdeviationsoftheresultsfromthoseobtainedwhentestedaccordingto theharmonisedstandard testconditions.Therefore, theANTICSSprojectconsiders that theharmonisedstandardandthemodifiedtestmethodaswellastheachievedtestresults,althoughnotusableforcomplianceverification,areinprinciplebroadlycomparableforthepurposesoftheproject.
inexplicable test results as indicator for potential circumvention acts TheANTICSSprojectconsideredthat,ifthemodifiedmeasurementmethodleadstoinexplicable changesinthemeasurementresultscomparedtothesameresultsachievedwiththeharmonisedstandardtestmethod,thismayindicatethattheproductmighthavebeenspecificallyalteredtodetect,ormanipulatedtobeoptimisedfor,theharmonisedstandardtestconditions.Asareferencefordeterminingthesignificanceofthedeviationbetweentheresultsachievedunderthetwotesting conditions, ANTICSS used the verification tolerances of the tested parameters as provided in theEU ecodesign and energy labelling regulations formarket surveillance purposes. If the deviation exceededthemagnitudeof theverification tolerances, the resultof themodifiedmeasurementmethod isconsideredsignificantand thusworthaspecificanalysisand thorough interpretation tounderstand if consequenceofcircumvention.
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6 / from praCtiCe: antiCss results of laboratory testing
ThefollowingoverviewsummarisestheANTICSStestresultsandrespectivecategorisationof24testedmodels,covering18casesin8differentproductcategories.
antiCss colour legend
general level (reported case)
produCt level (Model tested in ANTICSS)
Yellow Jeopardy effect GreeN no circumvention
orANGe Hints for circumvention DArk orANGe borderline to circumvention
reD Circumvention
antiCss test results
produCt level (Tested model)
general level (reported case) model a model b model C
Household dishwashers Specificloadinginstructions(removalandrelevantalterationofaccessories)exclusivelyprovidedtotestlab,i.e.nottoconsumers,toreachthedeclaredcapacity(hint for circumvention)
Modelnottested forthiscase
Modelnottested forthiscase Circumvention
televisions Specificfactorysettings(brightness),notrevertingtoitslowenergyconsumptionafter changing factory settings in the menu (hint for circumvention)
Nocircumvention Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
Household dishwashers Separatebowlexclusivelyprovidedtotestlaboratoryforstandardtest,nottoconsumers (hint for circumvention)
Nocircumvention Modelnottested forthiscase
Modelnottested forthiscase
Household dishwashers Specificinstruction(dedicatedpre-treatmentcycle)onhowtoadjusttheapplianceforthestandardtest,exclusivelyprovidedtotestinstitutes(hintforcircumvention)
Modelnottested forthiscase Nocircumvention Modelnottested
forthiscase
Household tumble driers Specificinstruction(dedicatednumberandtypeofpre-treatmentcycles)onhowtoadjusttheapplianceforthestandardtest,exclusivelyprovidedtotestinstitutes (hint for circumvention)
Nocircumvention Modelnottested forthiscase
Modelnottested forthiscase
Household tumble driers & Household washing machines white goods may theoretically comprise hidden software/sensors to detect the specificambienttestingconditionsofthestandardtestandrunspecificalgorithmsthat might result in e.g. lower resource consumption or better performance values (hint for circumvention)
Nocircumvention Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
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produCt level (Tested model)
general level (reported case) model a model b model C
Household washing machines Optimisationoftheappliancespecificallyforthefullandhalfratedcapacityofthestandard test (jeopardy effect)
Nocircumvention Nocircumvention Borderlinetocircumvention
domestic ovens Specificrecipe(e.g.yogurtmaking)inuserinstructionsthatrequiresremovingtheshelf-guides for the volume measurement (jeopardy effect)
Borderlinetocircumvention
Modelnottested forthiscase
Borderlinetocircumvention
domestic ovens Decoupled energy and temperature (performance) measurement in standard test; loweredtemperaturealwaysduringenergyconsumptionmeasurement,whereasstablesettemperatureduringsubsequenttemperaturemeasurement (jeopardy effect)
Modelnottested forthiscase
Borderlinetocircumvention Nocircumvention
refrigerating appliances Holidaymode/eco-modetoreduceenergyconsumption,fullyaccountedinstandardtest whereas seldom in real life (jeopardy effect)
Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
Borderlinetocircumvention
(equaltocaseonscreenswitch-offfunction)
refrigerating appliances Screenswitch-offfunctiontoreduceenergyconsumption,fullyaccountedinstandard test whereas seldom in real life (jeopardy effect)
Modelnottested forthiscase
Modelnottested forthiscase
Borderlinetocircumvention
televisions Automatic backlight reduction function fully accounted in standard test whereas extremely rarely in real life (jeopardy effect)
Nocircumvention (functionapplied,butnotmisusedtodeclare
betterresults)Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
domestic ovens The standard allows the setting of a lower temperature if the oven is not capable to performthemaximumrequestedtemperature.Thissituationimplieslowerenergyconsumption results for ovens not being able to reach these temperatures – asituationofwhichmanufacturersmighttakeadvantage.TheANTICSSmodifiedprocedure,proposingareductionofthetemperatureinthecentreoftheovenshowedthatthisfinallyhadverylowimpactontheenergyconsumption,i.e.theinitialclassificationofthiscaseasjeopardyeffecthasnotbeenconfirmed.
Modelnottested forthiscase Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
dishwashers Additional water and energy consumption of the cleaning operations of water tank machines is not fully accounted to the overall consumption (missing representativeness of the standard)
Modelnottested forthiscase Nocircumvention Modelnottested
forthiscase
room air conditioners (defrostcycles)Manufacturersmaydeclareefficienciesfortheproductsontheenergy labels and supporting data sheets considerably higher compared to what havebeenmeasuredinrealinstallations,especiallyincoldandhumidclimates,which in such case would give the consumer misleading information (missing representativeness of the standard)
Resultsnotassessable Nocircumvention Nocircumvention
room air conditioners & space heaters (variablespeedcompressor)Manufacturersmaydeclareefficienciesfortheproducts on the energy labels and supporting data sheets considerably higher comparedtowhathavebeenmeasuredinrealinstallations,especiallyincoldandhumidclimates,whichinsuchcasewouldgivetheconsumermisleadinginformation(missing representativeness of the standard)
Resultsnotassessable
Resultsnotassessable
Resultsnotassessable
Forsomeofthereportedcases,nocircumventioncouldbeprovenfortheselectedmodelsanalysedinlaboratorytesting.Still,thecaseswereclassifiedashintsforcircumventionorjeopardyeffectsastheycouldapplytoothermodelsonthemarketnotyettested,thuscouldserveasindicatortoMSAsatwhichcasestolookinmoredetail.
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6.1 / disHWasHers – speCifiC loading instruCtions
StandardEN50242:2016formeasuringtheperformanceofelectrichouseholddishwashers,statesthatThe dishwasher manufacturer’s instructions regarding installation and use shall be followed.The testingofoneofthethreeanalyseddishwashermodelsfollowingthemanufacturer’sinstructionsaccordingtotheharmonisedstandard required the removalorchangeof thepositionofmanyof theaccessories thatwerefitted to theapplianceassupplied.Instructions,e.g.removalofathirdrackoralterationofrelevantparts(e.g.splitofcutlerybasketintotwopartsatdifferentpositions)wereexclusivelygivenintheinstructionsfortestlaboratories,andnotintheuserinstructions;therefore,thiscasewascategorisedashintforcircumvention.TheANTICSSmodifiedtestswereconductedalsoaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardEN50242:2016andfollowingmanufacturer’sinstructionsbutwithoutremovingoralteringtheaccessories.Theloadingschemewas appliedwith themaximum number of place settings and corresponding serving pieces that fit in themachineasdelivered.Withthismodifiedloadingschemeandallaccessorieskeptinplaceinthemachine,only12insteadof16placesettingscouldbefittedintothedishwasher,i.e.thenumberofloadableplacesettingswasreducedby25%.
ANTICSStestingofadishwashermodel:harmonisedstandardandmodifiedloadingscheme Althoughtheabsolutewaterconsumptiondidnotchangeandthetotalenergyconsumptionwasslightlylower(-3.2%)comparedtothetestresultsintheconfigurationfor16placesettingsduetothereducedweightoftheload,thespecificenergyandwaterconsumptionperplacesettingincreasedby29%and34%respectively.Forconsumers,thismeansthatinreallifeonly12insteadofthedeclared16placesettingscouldbeloadedandcleaned,whichresultsinmorecyclesneededperyeartocleanthesamenumberofdishes,i.e.increasestheirannualenergyandwaterconsumption.
HARMONISEDSTANDARD: Standardloadingscheme accordingtomanufacturer‘sinstructions:
Manyaccessoriesandthirdrackhadtobe removed,cutlerybasketsplitintohalf
16placesettingsdeclared
ANTICSSAlTERNATIVE lOADINGSCHEME
Machinetestedassupplied
12placesettingsachievable
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ANTICSS TeST reSUlTS / disHWasHer
Harmonised standard measurement method
AnTicssmodifiedmeasurement method deviation
Standardplacesettings(ps) 16 12 -25%
Specificenergyconsumption(Wh/ps) 47.2 60.9 +29%
Specificwaterconsumption(l/ps) 0.68 0.91 +34%
Energyefficiencyclass A+++ A+++ Nodifference
Consideringthatthemanufacturer’sinstructionsregardingtheloadingschemeareexclusivelyprovidedfortestlaboratories,theproductisconsideredasmanuallyaltered,andtheresourceconsumptionaffectedonlyduringthelaboratorytesting.Thedeviationofthespecificenergyandwaterconsumptionexceededtheverificationtolerances;therefore,theresultofthemodifiedtestmethodisconsideredsignificantandthetestedmodeliscategorisedascircumvention.Theloadingcapacityisoneofthedeclaredparametersontheenergylabelandthusapurchasecriterionforconsumers.Sincetheloadingcapacityisalsousedtocalculatetheenergyefficiencyindex,ahigherloadingcapacitymighthelpreachingabetterenergyefficiencyclass,althoughthiswasnotthecaseforthespecificmodeltestedwithinANTICSS.
6.2 / WasHing maCHines – speCifiC optimisation at full and Half rated CapaCity
AccordingtoharmonisedstandardEN60456:2016,forwashingmachinesaseriesofseventestshavetobecarriedoutwiththreedifferenttreatmentsforthestandardprogrammes:Halfload:twotestrunsattreatment40°Candtwotestrunsattreatment60°C;andfullload:threetestrunsattreatment60°C.Thesuspectwasthatwashingmachinesmightbeoptimisedinawaytopresentmorefavourableresultsfortheenergyandwaterconsumptionexactlyatthetwotestingpointsoffullandhalfloadasspecifiedintheharmonisedstandard,whereastheconsumptionvaluesfollowadifferentpatternwhenthemachineisrunatdifferentloads.FortheANTICSSmodifiedtestingprocedure,thetestswerealsoperformedaccordingtoEN60456:2016butwithareducedloadof6kginsteadofthefullloadof10kgasdeclaredbythemanufacturerandwithahalfloadof3 kg(insteadof5kg).Theresultsforoneofthethreetestedmodelssuggestedthatthiswashingmachinemightbeoptimisedspecificallyforthestandardloads.So,theANTICSSconsortiumdecidedtoperformadditionaltestsat4kg,6.5kgand8kgat60°Ctreatmenttobetterunderstandthemachine’sbehaviour.Theresultswerestriking:
Theenergyconsumptionvaluesatloadslowerthanhalfratedcapacityof5kg(0.55kWh)werehigher(0.63kWhat4kgand0.67kWhat3kg)andalsotheenergyconsumptionvaluesatloadslowerthanfullratedcapacityof10kg(0.81kWh)werehigher(0.88kWhat8kg,0.92kWhat6.5kgand0.95kWhat6kg)
Therewasasignificant,inexplicableincreaseoftheenergyconsumptionfrom0.55kWhat5kgto0.95kWhat6kgload.
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ANTICSSresultsofawashingmachinemodel:energyconsumptionofthe60°Cstandardprogrammeusingdifferentloads
Theincreasingenergyconsumptionatlowerloadsisremarkableasitcouldratherbeexpectedthattheenergyconsumptionofthewashingmachinewouldrisewithincreasingwashloadorgettinglowerwithsmallerloads(note: a linear dependency of thewashingmachine’s energy consumption to the load is an approximationintroducedbytheANTICSSprojectforsakeofsimplicityalthoughitiswellknownthattheusualrelationisnotlinear).Thetestedmodelcouldbecategorisedintwodifferentways:
borderline tocircumvention,assuming that themoreefficient test results for theenergyandwaterconsumptionmoreorlessexactlyatfullandhalfratedcapacity(comparedtodifferentloadsin-between)wouldalsobeachievedinreallifewhenconsumersloadthemachinearoundthesecapacities.
circumvention,imaginingthatthemodelcouldhaveasensorthatautomaticallydetectstheweightoftheload,andbeingprogrammedinawaythatiftheweightcorrespondstotheexactloadusedinthestandardtest(fullandhalfloadoftheratedcapacity,standardgarments),theenergyandthewaterconsumptionwouldbereducedexclusivelyunderthesestandardtestconditions,butnotinconsumeruse.
Thiscasegivesstrong indicationshowproductswhoseperformancevarieswithcapacitycanbeoptimisedtowardsalegislationsettingalimitednumberofcapacitiesasrepresentativeoftheoverallproductperformance.
6.3 / ovens – volume measurement WitHout sHelf guides
StandardEN60350-1:2016formeasuringtheperformanceofhouseholdelectriccookingappliancesstatesformeasuringthevolume:Removable items specified in the user instructions to be not essential for the operation of the appliance in the manner for which it is intended shall be removed before measurement is carried out. Inoneofthethreetestedovenmodels,theuserinstructionscontainedonespecificrecipeformakingyoghurt,whichindicatedthatitisnecessarytoremovetheaccessoriesandshelvesandthatthecookingcompartmentmustbeempty.Duetothisspecificrecipeintheuserinstructions,thestandardtestofthevolumehadtobedoneremovingallshelfguides.TheANTICSSmodifiedtestmethodwasconductedalsoaccordingtostandardconditionsofEN60350-1:2016,exceptthevolumewasmeasuredwiththeshelfguidesintheirposition.
0.555
0.81
0.55
0.82
0.606
0.453
0.67 0.625
0.58
0.95 0.92
0.875 0.82
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Ener
gy c
onsu
mpt
ion
(kW
h)
Load (kg)
Standard Declared Expected Extra +alternative
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In themodifiedmeasurementmethod, thevolumewithshelfguides includedwas lower (9 litresoraround13%)thaninthetestsdevelopedfollowingtheharmonisedstandardwithouttheshelfguides.Themeasuredenergyconsumptionwasthesameforthetwotests.However,thedifferenceinthevolumehadanimpactonthecalculatedEnergyEfficiencyIndex(EEI),whichwas5%higher(i.e.morefavourable)thanunderthetestconditionsoftheharmonisedstandard.Forthetestedmodel,however,thehigherEEIdidnotresultinachangeoftheenergyefficiencyclass.
ANTICSS TeST reSUlTS / oven
Harmonised standard measurement method
AnTicssmodifiedmeasurement method deviation
Volume(l) 71 62 -13%
Energyconsumption(kWh/cycle) 0.71 0.71 0%
EnergyEfficiencyIndex 83.5 87.7 +5%
Energyefficiencyclass A A Nodifference
The inclusionof a recipewhere the shelf guidesarenotneeded (which is then the settingof theoven forthestandardtest)wasnotexclusivelyprovided inthe instructionsfortest laboratoriesbutalso included intheuserinstructions.Thisprovidesthepossibilityofsuchasettinginreal-lifeuse.Nevertheless,theuseofanovenwithoutshelfguidesseemstobeanexceptionaluseandnottheoperationof theappliance inthemannerforwhichitisusuallyintended,soitremainssuspectedthattheinclusionofsucharecipeisintendedtoachievemorefavourableresultsspecificallyundertesting;thecaseiscategorisedasjeopardyeffect.Thedeviationofthevolumeexceededtheverificationtolerances,i.e.theresultofthemodifiedtestisconsideredtobesignificantandthetestedmodeliscategorisedasborderlinetocircumvention.Thevolumeofovensisoneofthedeclaredparametersontheenergylabel,i.e.purchasecriterionforconsumers.SincethevolumeisalsousedtocalculatetheEnergyEfficiencyIndex,ahighervolumemighthelpreachingabetterenergyefficiencyclass,althoughthiswasnotthecaseforthespecificmodeltestedwithinANTICSS.
6.4 / ovens – automatiC temperature reduCtion funCtion
Thefirststepof thetestcycleaccordingtoEN60350-1:2016formeasuringtheperformanceofhouseholdelectriccookingappliances,theenergyconsumptionmeasurement,isdonewithabrick(soakedupwithwatertosimulateapieceofbeef)loadedinthecentreoftheoven.Inthesecondstep,aconsecutivetemperaturemeasurement of the empty oven is done.Between the two steps, the door necessarilymust be opened toremovethebrick.Tomeasuretheenergyconsumptionoftheoveninthefirststep,acertaintemperature-riseasdefinedinthestandardmustbereachedinthecentreofthebrick.
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TheresultsoftheANTICSStestingforoneofthethreetestedmodelsrevealedasuspectbehaviour:Duringthefirststep(energyconsumptionmeasurement)intheECOmode,thetemperatureintheovenwasconsiderablylower than the targeted temperature setting: the total length of the first step was 54 minutes, but thetemperatureofthecentreoftheovenwasaroundthesettemperatureof190°Cforonlyapprox.20minutes.Then,thetemperaturedroppeddownto89°C,whereastheexpectedandnormalbehaviourofanovenwouldbetomaintainthesettemperatureofaround190ºCformostofthetime.Thetemperaturewasonlyincreasedagain after the doorwas opened to remove the brick. In the second step (temperaturemeasurement), thetemperatureremainedstableduringthetestperiod.
ANTICSSresultsofanovenmodelinECOmode:energyconsumptionmeasurement(step1)andtemperaturemeasurement(step2)
Inatestednon-ECOmode(‘fanassisted’mode)ofthesamemodel,thetemperatureinthecentreoftheovenremainedstableforboththeenergyconsumptionmeasurementandthetemperaturemeasurement.Inaddition,thesecondovenmodeltestedforthiscasedidnotshowthisbehaviour:bothintheECOandinthe‘conventionalwithfan’modethetemperatureinthecentreoftheovenremainedstableforbothsteps.ItseemsthattheECOmodeofthefirstmodelhasbeenspecificallydesignedtoreachlower,i.e.morefavourable,valuesfortheenergyconsumptionbyreducingthetemperaturewhilestillmaintainingthetargettemperatureriseinthecentreofthebrick.Onlyafterthefirsthour,i.e.usuallywhenthetestingoftheenergymeasurementisfinished,thetemperatureremainedstableattherequiredtemperaturesetting.Probablytheopening(andre-closing)oftheovendoorinthetestsaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardor,alternatively,acertainpre-setperiodoftime,triggeredthetemperaturetoincreasesothattherequiredtemperaturevaluecouldbereachedforthesubsequenttemperaturemeasurement.It isassumedthatthetemperaturedecreasedoesnotapplyexclusivelyduringthetestsituationbutoccursalways during the first hour, i.e. applicable both in the test situation and during consumer use in real life;thus, thecasewascategorisedas jeopardyeffect.Thetemperaturesof themodifiedmeasurementmethodaredeviatingsignificantlyfromtherequirementincludedintheharmonisedstandardandthereforethetestedmodelwascategorisedasborderlinetocircumvention.
Tempe
rature[°C]
Time[hour:min]
250
200
150
100
50
08:27 8:44 9:00 9:17
Dooropening
Step1 Step2
9:34 9:50 10:07 10:24
24final report – september 2021
6.5 / refrigerating applianCes – sCreen sWitCH-off funCtion
StandardENIEC62552:2013formeasuringtheperformanceofhouseholdrefrigeratingappliancesstates:The refrigerating appliance shall be set up as in service in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Forthetestedrefrigeratingmodel,thedisplayofacontroller,providingadigitalclock,wasactivatedeachtimethedoorwasopened.Incasetheconsumerisawayforalongerperiod,thecabinetcansaveenergybydisablingthedisplayafter24hours.Theappliancedidnothaveafunctionalitytoturnoffthedisplaypermanently.Itonlycontrolledwhetherthedisplayremainsalwaysonoristurnedoffafter24hourswithoutdooropeningdetection;itwasnotpossibletoincreaseorshortenthistimeinthesettings.Theuserinstructionsstatetoleavethescreenswitch-offfunctioninthepre-setvalue(i.e.turn-offafter24hourswithoutdooropenings)inordertosaveenergyandincasethatthepre-setswitch-offfunctionisdisabledtheenergyconsumptionwillslightlyincrease.Therefore,thetestaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardwasdonewiththescreenswitch-offfunctionenabled,i.e.automaticturn-offafter24hourswithoutdooropenings.Astheharmonisedstandarddoesnotincludeanydooropeningsthedisplaywillbepermanentlyturnedoffduringthetest,whereasineverydaylife,thedisplaywillbeactivatedmostofthetimeduetothenormaluseoftherefrigeratorwithdailydooropenings.For theANTICSSmodifiedmeasurementmethod, the input power of the displaywasmeasured separatelyduringanoffcycleofthecoolingsystem,whileswitchingthedisplayonandoff.Thedifferenceofthemeasuredinputpower(2.1W)wasattributedtothedisplay.Theannualenergyconsumptionoftheappliancewasthencalculatedbyaddingtheenergyconsumptionoftheactivateddisplay(estimating20daysofabsenceperyearwiththedisplaybeingdeactivated)totheannualenergyconsumptionmeasuredwiththeharmonisedstandard.
ANTICSS TeST reSUlTS / refrigerator
Harmonised standard measurement method
AnTicssmodifiedmeasurement method deviation
Energyconsumption(kWh/year) 169 186 +10.3%
EnergyEfficiencyIndex 20.3 22.4 +10.3%
Energyefficiencyclass A+++ A++ 1class
The resultsshowthat therewouldbeanadditionalenergyconsumptionofaround17kWh/yeardue to thedisplay,whichcannotbe switchedoffmanually or via amodificationof the setting. This is an increaseof10.3%comparedtotheenergyconsumptionresultingfromthetestwiththeharmonisedstandard.TheenergyefficiencyclasswouldchangefromanA+++toA++.Duringthetestingaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardtheapplianceisoperatedasiftheconsumerwerenotathomeanddeactivatedthedisplaytosaveenergy.Thus,themeasuredandthedeclaredenergyconsumptionrepresent themostefficientmodeof theapplianceascapturedby thespecific test conditionswhichdoesnotincludeanyopeningofthedoors,whichisnotprovidinganoptimumproxioftheactualuseandenergyconsumptionduringreal life.Theturn-offofthedisplaydoesnotapplyexclusivelyduringthetestsituationbutoccursalsoduringconsumeruse,e.g.whentheconsumerisabsentforaholidayperiod;thus,thecaseiscategorisedasjeopardyeffect.Thedeviationoftheenergyconsumptionofthetestedmodelexceededtheverificationtolerances, i.e.theresultofthemodifiedtestmethodwasconsideredsignificantandthetestedmodelwascategorisedasborderlinetocircumvention.
25final report – september 2021
6.6 / televisions – automatiC baCKligHt reduCtion funCtion
ItiswellknownamongexpertsthatthetestvideotobeusedforthestandardmeasurementaccordingtoIEC62087-2:2015for thedeterminationof thepowerconsumptionofaudio,video,andrelatedequipmentsuchastelevisionsincludeshardcutseveryfewseconds,i.e.fastmovingimageswhichareverydifferentfromthecharacteristicsofreal-lifebroadcastcontent.Thispatternmightfacilitatethedevicerecognisingthissequenceasatestvideoandimplementingspecialfunctionstoreduceforexampletheluminance(backlight)duringthislooptodecreasethepowerconsumptionspecificallyinthetestsituation.ForoneofthethreemodelstestedinANTICSS,theresultsaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardshowedthatthemodelindeedhasaspecialfunctiontodetectfastchangingcontent:thebacklight(finallytheinputpower)wasreducedstepbystepstartingatabout95Watthestartofthetestvideoandsettlingdownatabout85Wafter100secondsfortherestofthe10minutestestsequence.ThetwoothermodelstestedinANTICSSdidnotpresentanybacklightreductionfunction.
ANTICSSresultsofmodifiedtestmethodofaTVmodelusinganautomaticback-lightreductionfunction
Atthecaselevel,thiscouldbeeitherclassifiedasjeopardyeffect–followingthemanufacturer’sexplanationthatthefunctionisalsoapplicabletoanycontentinreallifethatentailsrapidscenechangesand/ordepictingalargeamountofmotionsuchassportsprogrammes;orashintforcircumvention–basedontheexperienceofthetestlaboratorythatsuchfastmovingpicturesneverapplyinreallife,i.e.thesoftwareexclusivelyreactstothespecificfast-movingimagesofthestandardtestvideo,althoughthisfactcouldnotbeprovenbyANTICSS.Inprinciple,suchabacklightreductionfunctioncanbeusedtogainmorefavourableresultsforthemeasuredvaluesandthereforealsoforthedeclaredonesoftheon-modeandannualpowerconsumption.However,forthespecificmodeltestedinANTICSSthisdidnotoccur–onthecontrary:thedeclaredvaluesfortheon-modeandannualpowerconsumptionweresignificantlyhigher,23%worsethantheresultsofthemeasuredvalues,evenresulting inadeclared lowerenergyefficiencyclassA insteadof theA+thatcanbederived fromthemeasuredvalues.Therefore,thespecifictestedmodelwasnotcategorisedascircumvention.
Inpu
tPow
er[W
] 80
60
PowerConsumption(TVOnWithMeanAverageValue)
Time[s]
100
400 100 600500400300200
Mean:86.11
InputPower
26final report – september 2021
ANTICSS TeST reSUlTS / television model
antiCss Harmonised standard test results
declared by manufacturer deviation
On-modepowerconsumption(W) 85 110 -23%
Annualpowerconsumption(kWh/year) 118 153 -23%
Energyefficiencyclass A+ A 1class
According to themanufacturer, this over-declaration of power consumption is a safetymargin due to thevariations between units due to the construction process, to ensure all units being compliantwith energyefficiencyclassAwhenverifiedbyMarketSurveillanceAuthorities.
27final report – september 2021
7 / from individual models to a general risK: basiC beHaviours and gateWays to CirCumvention
FromtheANTICSStestresultsoftheindividualmodels,thefollowingcommonwaystowardscircumventionwereidentified,consideredtobegenerallyapplicabletoseveralmodelsandproductcategories:
Common circumvention behaviours applicable to several models and product categories
Influencing parameters used for the calculation of the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) and thus alsodeterminingtheenergyefficiencyclass;forexample:volumeorcapacityoftheappliance.
Smartorenergysavingfunctionsthatarefullycreditedinthestandardtestproceduretoreducetheenergyconsumptionwhileinpracticeonlytheoreticallyorveryrarelyapplicable.
Weaknesses in legislation and harmonised standards serving as gateway for circumvention
Harmonisedstandardsentailingveryspecificconditionsandsignificantlydeviatingfromtypicaluserbehaviourincreasethelikelihoodthatmanufacturersdesignproductstoadapttothesetestconditionsto achievemore favourable results. Examples: testing refrigerators without door openings; testingtelevisionsbyusingastandardtestvideowithfast-movingpicturesbeingextremelyrareinreal-lifebroadcastingcontent.
lackofperformancerequirementsinlegislationcanbeusedtooptimisetheenergyefficiencyattheexpenseofthefunctionalperformanceoftheappliance.Inaddition,thedecoupledmeasurementoftheenergy(andwater)consumptionandthefunctionalperformance,i.e.indifferentcycles,configurations,settings, or even different test conditions increases the risk of products being set to decrease theenergyconsumptionattheexpensesoftheproduct’sfunctionalperformance.Example:measuringtheenergyconsumptionofovenswithoutsimultaneouslymeasuringthereachedtemperature(consideredasindicationofthereachablecooking/bakingperformance).
Missing specification and definition of standard programme(s) to be used for the measurementof the energy and functional performance leaving the possibility formanufacturers to declare theprogramme(s)tobeusedforcomplianceassessmentandverification.
28final report – september 2021
8 / WHat is lost: impaCts of CirCumvention
ForthemodelscategorisedeitherascircumventionorborderlinetocircumventiononthebasisoftheANTICSStestresultsthefollowingimpactscenarioswerecalculated:
the realistic circumvention scenario:theminimumandmaximumpossiblelossesofpotentialenergysavingsarecalculatedonthebasisofthecombinedknowledgeofthemarketsharesofthetechnicalfeaturesoftheconsideredappliances,andtheestimatedmarketshareoftheproductsprobablyshowingthecircumventionbehaviourcomingfromexpertsfromEnergyAgencies,MSAs,test laboratoriesorstandardisationbodies.Incasethisinformationwasnotavailable,aconservativemarketshareof5%wasestimatedfortherealisticminimumscenario.
the extensive circumvention scenario:thepossiblelossesofpotentialenergysavingsarecalculatedconsideringallproductsthathavethesametechnicalfeatureresponsiblefortheidentifiedcircumventionbehaviourandarethustheoreticallypronetothesametypeofcircumvention.
AccordingtotheANTICSSimpactassessmentabout395to1,754TJ(realisticminimumandmaximumscenario)or5,982TJ(extensivescenario)ofprimaryenergysavingscouldbelostperyearduetothecircumventionorborderlinetocircumventionbehaviouroftheconsideredproductcategories,correspondingtoarangeof13,300to201,800 tonsofCO2 equivalents3.Over the total lifespanof theappliances thiswouldamount toaround2.4 milliontonnesofCO2equivalents.
total possible annual impaCts due to CirCumvention or borderline to CirCumvention
Case
realistic circumvention scenario
extensive circumvention scenario
extensive circumvention scenario over appliances‘ lifespan
average operational lifespan of appliances [years]minimum maximum
televisions: automatic backlight reduction function 197 691 3,946 39,459 10
Washing machines: specificoptimisationatfull and half rated capacity
41 328 819 12,289 15
refrigerating appliances: screen switch-off function 52 325 651 10,411 16
dishwashers: specificloadinginstructions 88 178 333 5,001 15
ovens: volume measurement without shelf guides 17 232 232 4,417 19
total possible annual losses of potential primary energy savings (TJ/year)
395 1,754 5,982 71,577
additional emissions Co2eq (t/year) 13,336 59,167 201,766 2,414,319
3 Conversion factor 255 g Co2e/kWhfortheyear2019.Source:EEA,Greenhousegasemissionintensityofelectricitygeneration,lastmodified11June2021,availableathttps://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/co2-emission-intensity-8
29final report – september 2021
Totalpossibleannuallossesofpotentialprimaryenergysavings(TJ/year)duetocircumventionorborderlinetocircumventionbehaviour
additional emissions of Co2 equivalents due to circumvention or borderline to circumvention behaviour
13,300 t CO2eq
59,200 t CO2eq
REALISTICMINIMUMSCENARIO
REALISTICMAXIMUMSCENARIO
EXTENSIVECIRCUMVENTION
SCENARIO
EMISSIONS* FROM A MIDDLE CLASS CAR
120 g CO2eq / km
201,800 t CO2eq
1,700 Mio km=
42 000 timesaround the globe
However,thisreflectsonlyasmallproportionofpotentiallossessinceaquantificationoftheimpactontheresource consumption was not possible for all the reported and tested cases. In addition, other types ofcircumventionpracticescouldoccurinproductcategoriesthatwerealreadycoveredorinproductcategoriesthatwerenot yet coveredby theANTICSSproject.ANTICSS resultsalsoshow thatnotonly theelectricityconsumption,butalsothewaterconsumptionorthefunctionalperformancecanbesubjecttocircumvention.
0
2,000
1,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
Loss
es o
f pot
entia
l prim
ary e
nerg
y sav
ings
in T
J pe
r yea
r
Summary of losses of potential primary energy savings caused by circumvention during standard testing of
smart TVs, cooling appliances, dishwashers, ovens and washing machines
REALISTICMINIMUMSCENARIO
REALISTICMAXIMUMSCENARIO
EXTENSIVECIRCUMVENTION
SCENARIO
395TJ/year
1,754TJ/year
5,982TJ/year
TVWASHCOLDDISHOVEN
* Source: eurostat (2020): Co2 emission Intensity in europe. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/co2-emission-intensity- 6#tab-googlechartid_googlechartid_googlechartid_googlechartid_chart_11111
30final report – september 2021
Circumvention of eu ecodesign and energy labelling legislation and standards can have further severe impacts
Anon-satisfactoryperformanceunderreal-lifeuseconditionswillprobablybenoticedbyconsumersandmightleadthemtoreduceorevenavoidtheuseof theECOmodes,orofothermodes/configurations/settingsofownappliances.Theswitchtoother,moreperformingbutalsoprobablymoreresource-intensiveprogrammes/configurations/settingswouldbedisastrousinseveralrespects:Inadditiontothepossiblelostsavingsandclimateprotectionpotential,thetrustofthecivilsocietyandthebusinessoperatorsinkeyEUpolicyinstrumentssuchasecodesignandenergylabellingandstandardsmightbeirreversiblydamaged.
ExAMPlES OFTHESEVERE IMPACTS OFCIRCUMVENTION
MARkETDISTORTIONS/UNFAIRCOMPETITION
lOSSOFREPUTATIONforindividualmanufacturersand/orentireindustries
lOSSOFCONSUMERS’ANDBUSINESSES’TRUST intheoveralleffectivenessofEuropeanlegislationandstandards
31final report – september 2021
9 / WHat We aCHieved: antiCss Contributions to anti-CirCumvention
Main target groups for the complex topic of circumvention are market surveillance authorities and test laboratoriesintermsoftheverificationprocedureofproductcompliance,policy makersaswellasstandardisation organisationswithregardtothedevelopmentandrevisionofEUecodesignandenergylabellingregulationsandtherespectiveharmonisedstandards,manufacturersdesigningproductsandplacingthemonthemarket,consumers represented byconsumer organisations and in the end the overall environment represented byenvironmental ngos. From the beginning, the ANTICSS project focused its dissemination and awarenessraisingactivitiesonthesetargetgroups,ensuringearlyandongoingstakeholderengagementatEuropeanandnationallevelatthevariousstagesoftheproject.Forexample,theANTICSSAdvisoryBoardconsistedofrepresentativesoftheindustryassociationsAPPliAEurope (homeappliance industry)andEPEE(representingthe refrigeration,air-conditioningandheatpumpindustry),theEuropeanconsumerorganisationBEUC,thestandardisationorganisationCEN-CENElECwithitsCoordinationGrouponecodesign,aMemberStatesrepresentativeandonepersonfromaMarketSurveillanceAuthority.Further,ANTICSSorganisedabroadstakeholderconsultation,addressingatotalof278expertsatEuropeanlevel(39MarketSurveillanceAuthorities,61industryrepresentativesand178consumerorganisations,test organisations and environmentalNGOs) to contribute their views and experiences to the collectionofsuspectedcasesandthedevelopmentofaconcisedefinitionofcircumvention.Infourdedicatedworkshops,theperspectivesofNGOs,industryrepresentatives,membersofstandardisationcommitteesandrepresentativesof theEuropeanCommissionwereconsidered in the formulationof thefinalANTICSSrecommendations tobetteraddresscircumventioninfuturestandardisationandpolicyprocessesonecodesignandenergylabelling.
TEAM ANd CoNTACTS
Ms. Kathrin Graulich Senior Researcher Öko-Institut e.V. Postfach 17 71 | d-79017 Freiburg Germany Email: k.graulich@oeko.de
projeCT pArTNerS
projeCT CoordINATor WWW.ANTI-CIrCuMveNTIoN.eu
@ANTICIrCuMveNT
eNeAAgenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l‘energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile CCIAA Mi Camera di commercio industria artigianato agricoltura
IMQIstituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità S.p.A.
AdeNeAdene-agencia para a energia
ASAeAutoridade seguranca alimentar e economica
FFII-LCoeFundacion para el fomento de la innovacion industrial
CM Comunidad de Madrid
eCoSEuropean Environmental Citizens organisation for
Standardisation
BHTCService public federal sante publique, securite de la
chaine alimentaire et environnement
re/gentRe/gent B.V.
NvWANederlandse voedsel en warenautoriteit
SevenSEVEn, the Energy Efficiency Center, z.u.
SeIAStátní energetická inspekce
AeAÖsterreichische Energieagentur
BMWFWBundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft
GrSRegierung von Schwaben – Gewerbeaufsichtsamt
ubonnRheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn
vdeVdE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH
The sole responsibility for the content of this leaflet lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the reflect the opinion of the European Union. Co-funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union under grant agreement no. 785122.
At the latest since the so called “diesel gate”, the topic of manipulated emission testing of cars, possible “circumvention” was exposed to highest attention of public media, also with regard to other EU legislation such as Ecodesign and Energy labelling.
Therefore, specific challenge of the project is to clearly define circumvention and delimitate it from other effects, to identify potential circumvention habits, describe it on a technically sound basis, to make laboratory testing or engineering analysis feasible for the selected product categories and types and to quantify the possible impact for a number of energy related products and relevant measurement methods under EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling.
The project objectives are to assess and define „circumvention“ in order to achieve a better product positioning in relation to the EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards; including clear delimitation from other effects to facilitate unambiguous public communication.
aims to collect, analyse and learn from cases of circum¬vention by literature research, dedicated expert research and interviews, by product testing as well as by analysing existing EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and standardisation for possible loopholes.
aims to provide evidence and guidance on how to better detect and prevent future circumvention; assessing impacts ‚if‘ and ‚how much‘ energy consumption and/or functional performance modifications could be ascribed to circumvention by conducting appliance testing.
Project’s further objectives are to define alternative test procedures or check lists with the aim to by-pass any possible measurement circumvention. provides practical capacity building measures for key actors of market surveillance and test laboratories, support communication and collaboration platforms between major stakeholders and provide policy recommendations for policy makers and standardisation bodies to prevent future circumvention under EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling.
project was also designed to provide reliability to manufacturers by specifying potentially vague legislation and standards which might be interpreted differently by market actors and some of them taking unfair advantages so far.
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
LOGIN
ANTICSS project to be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference on June 6th, 2018 The project actions and achievements will be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference in Brussels, on June 6th. The project will be pre-sented within the " Effective Market surveillance for large industrial products as a contribution to overall energy efficiency and energy savings in the EU" presentation.
ANTICSS Focal point meeting in Italy: 11 May 2018The second national focal point meeting of the project in Italy will take place on May 11, 2018 in Milano.
ANTICSS project to be presented at Fan 2018 conference The project activities will be presented at the international FAN 2018 conference, organised on April 18.–20., 2018 in Darm-stadt, Germany.
TEAM AND CONTACTS
ADVISORY BOARD
HELPDESK
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
FAQ
NEWSLETTERS
EVENTS DOCUMENTS AND DELIVERABLES
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIPTION
ANTICSS ON TWITTER #10-05-2018#22:25ANTICSS FOCAL POINT MEETING IN ITALY: 11 MAY 2018, THE SECOND NATIONAL FOCAL POINT MEETING OF THE PROJECT IN ITALY WILL TAKE PLACE ON MAY 11, 2018 IN MILANO.
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTER MARKET SURVEILLANCE
ABOUT THE PROJECT PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTACTS LANGUAGE SECTIONS
Project introduction PROJECT NEWS
MAY 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS project to be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conference on June 6th, 2018 The INTAS project actions and achievements will be presented at the EUSEW 2018 conferen-ce in Brussels, on June 6th. The project will be presented within the " Effective Market surve-illance for large industrial products as a contri-bution to overall energy efficiency and energy savings in the EU" presentation.
MAR 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS Focal point meeting in Italy: 11 May 2018The second national focal point meeting of the project in Italy will take place on May 11, 2018 in Milano.
JAN 6TH, 2018
ANTICSS project to be presented at Fan 2018 conference The project activities will be presented at the international FAN 2018 conference, organised on April 18.–20., 2018 in Darm-stadt, Germany.
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
FAQ
NEWSLETTERS
EVENTS
DOCUMENTS AND DELIVERABLES
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIPTION LOGIN
ANTICSS objectives are to assess and define "circumvention" in order to achieve a better product positioning in relation to EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards; inclu-ding clear delimitation from other effects to facilitate unambiguous public communication. Its aims are also to collect, analyse and learn from cases of circum¬vention by literature research and dedicated expert interviews, as well as analysing existing EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and standardisation for possible loopholes. The potential relation between circumvention and "smart" products with specific embedded software is another issue addressed by the project. From these findings, conclusions how to better detect and prevent future circumvention will be derived; assessing impacts 'if' and 'how much' energy consumption and/or functional performance modifications could be ascribed to circumvention by conducting appli-ance testing. Project’s further objectives are to define alternative test procedures or check lists with the aim to by-pass any possible measurement circu-mvention. Based on the results, ANTICSS will provide practical capaci-ty building measures for key actors of market surveillance and test laboratories, support communication and collaboration platforms between major stakeholders and provide policy recommendations for policy makers and standardisation bodies to prevent future circum-vention under EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling. ANTICSS project was also designed to provide reliability to manufactu-rers by specifying potentially vague legislation and standards which might be interpreted differently by market actors and some of them taking unfair advantages so far. By overall awareness raising on circumvention among stakeholders, ANTICSS is supporting an effective EU legislation enforcement and thus increasing acceptance and trust of market actors and civil society into the Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation.
FAQ
What are your main questions about products, energy efficiency, market surveillance, Ecodesign, energy labels and circumvention? Find out answers to these questions below.Do contact the project organisers if you want to know more! What are the ANTICSS project key objectives?
ANTICSS objectives are to assess what "circumvention" actually is and how relation to EU eco-design and energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards (measurement methods harmonised for purpose of product conformity) can be circumvented in order to achieve a better product positioning. Its objectives are also to under-stand 'if' and 'how much' energy consumption and/or functional per-formance modifications could be ascribed to circumvention; and 'how' circumvention attempts could be unmasked via the definition of new specific procedures or check lists, modified test conditions, "sentinel" parameters to be screened, etc. and to make recommendations for setting a clearer policy and enforcement framework.
What scope of activities ANTICSS project organises?
ANTICSS firstly aims to define what circumvention is in relation to EU Ecodesign and energy labelling legislation and relevant harmonised standards. It then investigates how they can be circumvented in order to achieve a better product positioning. The project team collects and discusses evidence on circumvention cases, following up with a limi-ted number of physical testing of selected product models along with engineering analysis.
What product categories are being investigated?
An initial selection of product categories and types has been done in the early project phases, researching mostly among the following household appliances: vacuum cleaners, wash appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, washer-dryers, tumble dryers), refrigerating appliances (wine coolers, mini bars), cooking appliances (ovens, range hoods) and other products (TV and/or another product, if considered appropriate). The final selection of product categories and types that will be analysed/tested will be done throughout the project on the basis of information gathered within the project research.
Could you be more specific about the project methodology to detect possible circumvention?
The ANTICSS methodology is simple but effective. The starting point is the elaboration of a detailed definition of what "circumvention" means among the different definitions that might be given by different stakeholders. The list below includes topics that are addressed by the project in order to assess the meaning of "circumvention": hidden software (defeat devices) (hidden) specific cycle/setting/configuration used only for testing for legislation compliance products specifically designed to be excluded from legislation, also exploiting ambiguities in the legislation itself
Sample of an embedded chart, diagram or schema
ANTICSS project team will analyse the results of its investigations and will define recommendations for policy makers and standardisation, to identify circumvention risks and to perform loophole identification testing, thus allowing preparing better circumvention-proof standards and legislation before adoption.
A second outcome will be a complete set of guidelines on "How to detect and avoid circumvention of eco-design and energy labelling legislation and standards", targeted to all market economic and non--economic actors and MSAs for a more effective EU legislation enforce-ment. Note that at the end of the project, the tested models will as much as possible donated free to charity. Only if the discovered circu-mvention will severely decrease the declared performance in a way to make the models non-compliant with the eco-design requirements the specific models will be disposed (according to the national waste
By providing reliability to manufacturers through specifying potentially vague legislation and standards which might be interpreted differently by various market actors and some of them taking unfair advantages so far.
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTERMARKET SURVEILLANCE
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTERMARKET SURVEILLANCE
ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION OF STANDARDS FOR BETTERMARKET SURVEILLANCE
Co-funded by the Horizon 2020Programme of the European Union
CONTACT USHere will be all contactinformation, address, any other contacts. The green sign „at“ – e-mail will be activ: By one click you can start to write e-mail.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement Number 785122. The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not necessa-rily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EASME nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
PROJECT NEWS
MAR 6TH, 2018
MAY 6TH, 2018
JAN 6TH, 2018
Team and contacts
Project coordinator
Ms. Kathrin GraulichDeputy Head of Sustainable Products and Material Flows DivisionOeko-Institut e.V. P.O. Box 17 71 | 79017 Freiburg GermanyEmail: K.Graulich ATT oeko.dewww.oeko.de
PROJECT COUNTRIES
List of project partners
Österreichische Energieagentur – AEA AustriaBundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft - BMWFW Austria
European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation – ECOS BelgiumService public federal sante publique, securite de la chaine alimentaire et environnement – BHTC Belgium
Camera di commercio industria artigianato agricoltura - CCIAA Mi ItalyAgenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo eco-nomico sostenibile – ENEA ItalyIstituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità S.p.A. - IMQ Italy
Fundacion para el fomento de la innovacion industrial - FFII-LCOE Comunidad de Madrid – CM Spain
SEVEn, the Energy Efficiency Center, z.u. – SEVEn Czech Rep.Státní energetická inspekce – SEIA Czech Rep.
Regierung von Schwaben – Gewerbeaufsichtsamt – GRS GermanyRheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn – Ubonn GermanyVDE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH – VDE Germany
Re/gent B.V. - Re/gent NetherlandsNederlandse voedsel en warenautoriteit - NVWA NetherlandsAdene-agencia para a energia - ADENE Portugal
Autoridade seguranca alimentar e economica - ASAE Portugal
Advisory Board
What are your main questions about products, energy efficiency, market surveillance, Ecodesign, energy labels and circumvention? Find
32final report – september 2021
TheoutcomesoftheprojectwereregularlypresentedtoMarketSurveillanceAuthoritiesattheannualmeetingsoftheAdministrativeCooperationGroups(AdCo)onecodesignandenergylabelling.Also,theresultswerepresentedanddiscussedatvariousmeetingsofnational,Europeanandinternationalstandardisationcommittees.Forthecaseofovensregardingvolumemeasurementwithoutshelfguides,theresultsoftheANTICSSlaboratorytestswerereportedtotheecodesignandenergylabellingreviewstudyoncookingappliancesandformedthebasisforanamendmentofthevolumemeasurementintherevisionprocessofthecurrentstandard.For Market Surveillance Authorities and test laboratories, the ANTICSS project team developed detailedguidelines including process flow charts explaining ways to implement the detection of circumvention inthegeneralcomplianceverificationprocedureunderecodesignandenergy labelling.Asacapacitybuildingmeasure,theseguidelineswerepresentedattwowebinarsspecificallydedicatedtoMSAsandtestlaboratories.As another tool facilitating the detectionof circumventing products, the test laboratoryRe/genT,ANTICSSprojectpartner,developedanExcelbasedtooltobeusedbytestinglaboratories.Thetoolgeneratesrandomlychosenconditions,whichmustbesetduring testingandfinallyprovidesastatementwhether refrigeratorsundertestaresuspiciousforcircumventionornot.Forthescientificcommunity,ANTICSSpublishedtwopapersandpresentedthemattheElectronicGoesGreenconferencein2020andattheeceeeSummerStudyonEnergyEfficiencyin2021.In2019,ANTICSSwasalsopresentedattheEuropeanSustainableEnergyWeek(EUSEW).Finally,totheinterestedpublictheANTICSSresearchresultswerecommunicatedthroughvariousmeansandchannels.Thisincludes2pressreleases,5newsletters,severalarticlesinnewspapers,regularinformationonTwitterandlinkedIn,aswellasorganisingnationalworkshopsineachparticipatingpartnercountriesandthefinalconference.Onthewebportalwww.anti-circumvention.euallreports,guidelines,toolsandpresentationsaswellasthepublishednewslettersandarticlesareavailablefordownload.
All these actions of the ANTICSS project contribute significantly to the general understanding and overallawarenessraisingofrelevantstakeholderstothetopicandimpactsofcircumventionunderEUecodesignandenergylabellingandthusdeliverasignificantprogressonthepathofanti-circumvention.However,evenifalothasalreadybeenachievednotallaboutcircumventionanditsimplicationshasbeeninvestigated,andnotallpossiblewaystoavoiditcouldbeidentifiedwithintheproject.Ifwearetoavoidfuturelossesofenergysavingsduetocircumventionacts,moreworkisstillaheadforallstakeholdersinvolved.
At the latest since the so called “diesel gate”, the topic of manipulated emission testing of cars, possible “cir-cumvention” was exposed to highest attention of public media, also with regard to other EU legislation such as Ecodesign and Energy labelling.
Therefore, specific challenge of the project is to clearly define circumvention and delimitate it from other effects, to identify potential circumvention habits, describe it on a technically sound basis, to make labo-ratory testing or engineering analysis feasible for the selected product categories and types and to quantify the possible impact for a number of energy related products and relevant measurement methods under EU Ecode-sign and Energy labelling.
The project objectives are to assess and define „circumven-tion“ in order to achieve a better product positioning in relation to the EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling legislation and relevant harmoni-sed standards; including clear delimitation from other effects to facilitate unambiguous public communication.
aims to collect, analyse and learn from ca-ses of circum¬vention by literature research, dedicated expert research and interviews, by product testing as well as by analysing existing EU Ecodesign and Energy
Newsletter M 101sT EdiTion
WP7, Deliverable 7.1January 2019
33final report – september 2021
AnTicssapproachofaverificationproceduretotargetcircumvention
YES
YESYES
YES
YES
YESYES
YES
NO
NO
NO
Standard MSA approach
ANTICSS MSA approach for CV
Beyond current legal framework
Sampling
Product X
Compliant?
Compliance assessment
In scope of regulation according to supplier
(ED/EL)?
Verification of compliance according to
corresponding Annex in ED and EL regulations
Suspicious behaviour? (Sections 4.1.1 & 4.1.2)
Specific only to test situation
(Section 3.3: figure 2)
Automatic detection of the test situation and alteration of the product performance during test
Part a) of ANTICSS definition (Section 3.1)
Both in test situation and in consumer use, but to the latter applicable only theoretically
and/or in extremely rare situations(Section 3.3: figure 2)
Pre-set or manual alteration of the product (specific test instruction only for test labs;
software only reacting to test situation; specific factory setting not reverting after
changing settings in the menu)
Part b) of ANTICSS definition (Section 3.1)
Pre-set alteration of the performance within a short period after putting
the product into service Part c) of ANTICSS definition (Section 3.1)
Justified?(Section 3.4.4)
Harmonised test(Section 4.2.1)
Harmonised test(Section 4.2.1)
Alternative test(Section 4.2.2)
Adjusted deviation > verification tolerance
(Section 4.2.3)
Alternative test(Section 4.2.2)
Hint for CV(Section 3.1)
Jeopardy effect(Section 3.2)
Complete information
in ICSMS
Information of MSA and Commission
via ICSMS update
Follow-up measures
Complete information
in ICSMS
NO
NO
NO
YES YES
NO Non-compliant
Compliant
Borderline to CV No CVComplete
information in ICSMS
Complete information
in ICSMS
Follow-up actions
Complete information
in ICSMS
Complete information
in ICSMS
Complete information
in ICSMS
Follow-up measures
(Section 4.3.2)
Follow-up measures
(Section 4.3.2)
Information of MSA and Commission
via ICSMS update Information of MSA
and Commission via ICSMS update
CV
YES
CVPart a)
Parts b) and c) of ANTICSS definition
Specific test instructions also included in user manual;Energy or resource saving software/technologies being specific but not exclusively applicable in the test situation;Others
(Section 3.3: figure 2)
YES NO
MARKETSURVEILLANCE
Adjusted deviation > verification tolerance
(Section 4.2.3)
No CV
Targeting
Compliant Non-compliantNO
Follow-up measures(Section 4.3.1)
under market surveillance if ‘non compliant’
34final report – september 2021
10 / tHe Way forWard: role and responsibilities of relevant aCtors
Interactionandresponsibilities ofdifferentactorsnecessary topreventcircumvention
10.1 / industry and produCt manufaCturers
Circumvention is an illegal act. In this respect, the obvious task and legal responsibility ofmanufacturersis todesignproducts thatcomplywith theapplicableEU legislationand (harmonised)standards.However,manufacturers should also contribute to the overall objectives of the EU ecodesign and energy labellinglegislation.Insimplewords:
morefavourableresultsforaproductmodelachievedthroughcircumventionarenon-compliant.Thecommunicationofsuchresultstoconsumersisalsoleadingtonon-complianceofprovidedinformation.
providingunreliableindicativeinformationtoconsumersabouttheenergyandresourceconsumptionandperformanceofproducts,whererequestedbytheEUlegislation,mayalsobeconsideredanon-compliancetothemoregeneralconsumerprotectionlegislation.
morefavourableresultsduetotheexploitationofweaknessesandloopholesinlegislationarecurrentlynot considered as non-compliance, but are against the spirit and the goals of EU ecodesign andenergy labelling legislationandthesituationmaychange infutureasresultoftheANTICSSprojectrecommendations.
the misuse/abuse of the possibility to provide, for safety reasons and provision of reliable andreproducibleresults,manufacturer’sinstructionsforlaboratorytestingiscurrentlynotillegal;however,theexploitationoftheresultingmorefavourabletestresultsisagainstthespiritandthegoalsofEUecodesign and energy labelling legislation and the situationmay change in future as result of theANTICSSprojectrecommendations.
responsibility for preventing CirCumvention
industry / produCt manufaCturers
poliCy maKers /
regulations
standardisation organisations
marKet surveillanCe autHorities
test laboratories
responsibility for preventing CirCumvention
35final report – september 2021
Beyondthis,manufacturerscanhelpuncoveringactsofcircumventionandclosingambiguitiesorloopholesinlegislationandstandards.Manufacturersknowtheproductsonthemarketandcouldthereforerecogniseandshouldreportatanearlystageanyapparentirregularityorsuspectedcasethatgivecompetitorsanunfairadvantage.AsmembersoftheecodesignandenergylabellingConsultationForumaswellasofstandardisationcommittees,individualmanufacturersortheirindustryAssociationsareactivelyinvolvedinthedevelopmentandrevisionofregulationsandsupportingstandards.Theidentifiedloopholesorambiguitiesshouldalsobereported–andasfaraspossibleovercome–aspartoftherevisionprocessoflegislationorstandards.
10.2 / poliCy maKers and standardisation organisations
extendthelegaldefinitionofcircumventionineuecodesignandenergylabellingregulations to cover all types of circumvention
CircumventionisconsideredanillegalactaccordingtoanewArticleincludedinseveralrecentproductspecificecodesignregulations.Agenericprohibitionisalsopresentintheenergylabellingframeworkregulation(EU)2017/1369.However,theseprohibitionsonlycoverproductsthatactivelyrecognisethetestconditionsandreact by automatically altering their performance during the test. Therefore, it is highly recommended toextend the legal definition of circumvention in ecodesign regulations and the framework energy labellingregulation,tocover–andthereforeforbid–alsotheothersituationsencompassedintheANTICSSdefinitionof circumvention: (i) pre-set or manual alteration of the product, affecting performance and/or resourceconsumptionduringtestand(ii)pre-setalterationoftheperformancewithinashortperiodafterputtingtheproductintoservice.
specify in harmonised standards the instructions manufacturers may provide only for laboratory testing to avoid misuse
Theobligationtofollowmanufacturer’sinstructionfortheinstallationofaproductoritssettingbeforelaboratorytesting is per se correct andunavoidablebecause themanufacturer is theonlyone legally responsible forthecharacteristicsandcomplianceofaproductwithallapplicablelegislation,includingthewayithastobeusedand testedaccording to its intendeduse.Themisuse ofmanufacturer’s instructions, i.e.prescribinginstructionsforaspecificset-upoftheproductonlyforlaboratorytestingaccordingtotheharmonisedstandardwithnocomprehensiblejustification(e.g.technicalorsafetyreasons),inordertoachievemorefavourabletestresultsfallsundertheANTICSScircumventiondefinitionandshouldbedeclaredillegalinlegislationaswellasinstandards.
36final report – september 2021
makepossibletheuseofmodifiedmeasurementmethodsaimedatindicatingthepossiblepresence of circumvention
Whenproductsor respective test settingshavebeenmanipulatedwith theaimof circumvention,productsappeartocomplywiththelegislationrequirementswhentestedfollowingthemeasurementmethodsoftheharmonisedstandards.For this reason, it is impossible todetectcircumventionbehaviourwith thecurrentharmonisedstandards.TheANTICSSprojecthasdevelopedmodifiedmeasurementmethodsthatmayindicatethepossiblepresenceofcircumvention.Thesemodifiedmeasurementmethodsmayencompass:
slightvariationsoftheambienttestconditions,
testingwithoutfollowingthespecificmanufacturer’s instructionsorusingtheaccessoriesprovidedonlyfortestlaboratories;
testing a certain number of cycles beyond those set in the legislation and in relevant harmonisedstandardsand/ortestinginadifferent(randomised)sequence.
PolicymakersandstandardisationbodiesarealsocalledupontodecideifmodifiedmeasurementmethodsshouldbeincludedinaspecificpartoftherelevantharmonisedstandardtobecomelegallyusablebyMarketSurveillanceAuthoritiesandconstitutethelegalbasisforaneventualenforcementactionagainstcircumventingmodels.
analyse the application of legislation at regular intervals to identify and overcome jeopardyeffects,loopholesandotherweaknessesthatmightfacilitatecircumvention
The ANTICSS project has highlighted that the existing ecodesign and energy labelling legislation and therespectiveharmonisedstandardsmayincludeloopholesandotherweaknesses–jeopardyeffects–thatcanbelegallyexploitedbymanufacturerstoachievemorefavourableresults.Thepracticehasshownthatsometime isneededafter theapplicationof anew regulationor standard tounderstand theactual implicationsandrelationsamongthedifferent legal requirementsandtestconditions. Inthisrespect, theapplicationoflegislationandthecorrespondenceofstandardstolegislationshouldbeanalysedatregularintervalstoidentifyambiguities, loopholes, illogical or unintentional interpretations andotherweaknesses thatmight facilitatecircumvention.Onceidentified,theseloopholescouldbeovercomeviaafasttrackrevisionprocedureofthelegislation,viaanamendmentorthepreparationofaneweditionofthestandard,orspecificFAQsincludedintheCommissionGuidelinesthatusuallyaccompanytheEUecodesignandenergylabellingregulationsorFAQspreparedbytheMSAswithintheAdCoGroupsforecodesignandenergylabelling.
37final report – september 2021
10.3 / marKet surveillanCe autHorities and test laboratories
identifypossiblecircumventionandjeopardyeffectsduringthecomplianceverificationandlaboratory testing of investigated products
Due to the definition of circumvention in the current legal framework the action of Market SurveillanceAuthoritiestodetectdifferentpossiblecircumventionbehavioursandconsideringthemasnon-compliantiscurrentlystilllimited.Nevertheless,MSAsandtestlaboratoriesareencouragedtoactivelylookforcasessuspectedofcircumvention.Theseactsmaybecomeillegalandtheresultingmeasurementsresultsbeconsiderednon-compliantinfuturelegislation.ThecollectionofsuchcasesandexchangeofexperiencesamongMSAsandtestlabscanprovideanimportantbasisforthis.
supportthedevelopmentandapplicationofmodifiedmeasurementmethodstoidentifycircumvention
Given the technical impossibility to detect circumvention during laboratory testing following the currentharmonisedstandards,modifiedtestmethodsshouldbedevelopedandappliedonacasebycasebasis toidentifythepossiblepresenceofcircumvention.IncasetheresponsibilityofthepreparationofmodifiedmeasurementisputinchargeofMSAs,itisadvisablethatthedevelopmentofthesemethodsiscarriedoutinclosecooperationbetweenMSAsandthetechnicalexpertsofthecommissionedtestlaboratories.MSAscanprovidedetailsonthesuspectbehaviouraswellasbeing responsible for the follow-upmeasures incaseof resultingnon-complianceof the testedproduct(s).Thetestlaboratoriesarewell-experiencedinthemeasurementconditionsforthedifferenttechnicalproductparameters and in possible adaptations of harmonised standard test conditions. For example, some testlaboratorieshavealreadystartedtodevelopandusesimulationtoolswhichfacilitatetheslightvariationofcertainparametersofthetestconditionsinanautomatedprocess.
regularly exchange experiences about suspicious cases
MSAs and test laboratories could strengthen their competence regarding circumvention: MSAs couldsystematically collect suspicious cases on circumvention or cases falling under the extended ANTICSSdefinitionof circumventionor jeopardyeffects, and share this knowledgewith theaim to identify possiblepatterns,discusstheverificationprocedureandfollow-upmeasures.Forexample,theAdComeetingscouldserveasregularplatformtoexchangeexperiencesonhowtoidentifyandavoidcircumvention.
bring in your expertise in the legislation and standardisation processes
Whenever possible, MSAs’ involvement in ecodesign and energy labelling regulatory processes, includingproductspecificpreparatoryandrevisionstudiesaswellasrelatedstandardisationworkshouldbeencouraged,asthewaytoincludetheirexperienceofpotentialweaknessesandloopholesofregulationsandstandardsthatmightbeusedforcircumvention.Iftheapplicablestandardsdonotaddressknowncircumventionbehavioursorjeopardyeffects,testlaboratoriesare recommended to inform the standardisation committee about this situation to promote the relevantmodificationsduringrevision.
38final report – september 2021
11 / still to do: furtHer need for researCH
Oneof thekeyfindings learntfromtheANTICSSproject is thattheusualverificationprocedure inthepastrelatedtotheverificationofthedeclaredvaluescompliancevialaboratorytestingisnotfit-for-purposeforthedetectionofcircumventionorjeopardyeffects,astheproductitselforitssettingshavebeenmanipulatedorloopholeshavebeenexploitedsothatthetestresultsareinfluencedinawaythattheyturnoutmorefavourablepreciselyunderthetestconditionsoftheharmonisedstandard.TheANTICSSprojectdevelopedseveralmodifiedmeasurementmethodsspecificallyforthepurposeofdetectingsuspectbehaviourofmodelsduringlaboratorytestingthatmayindicatethepresenceofcircumvention.Thesetests encompass e.g. a slight variation of ambient testing conditions, additional single test parameters orrandomisationoftestsequences.MSAshavealwaystheoptiontodevelopownnon-standardisedalternativeteststodetectcircumvention,butsomeexpertshavetheopinionthattheycanbeusedonlyforanengagementwiththemanufacturerandnotforalegalenforcementaction,nothavingalegalbasisinsideanharmonisedstandard.Otherexpertsinsteadthinkthatcircumventionisnotaregulatedproductcharacteristic(itisadesignactoraprescriptionoftestinstructionsbythemanufacturer),soaharmonisedstandardisnotnecessarytoconcludeoncircumventionandthereforeMSAsmayuseall(legal)methodstoprovecircumventionandintheendthecourtwilldecidewhetheracertainproofiswellfoundedandconvincing.ThelegalvalueofmodifiedmeasurementmethodsismatterfordiscussionwithintheEuropeanCommissionlegalserviceandexperts inEU legislation inorder to takeadecisionabout thesubject responsible for thepreparation.Butbeyondthis,MSAsusuallysufferfromalackofpersonnelandfinancialresourcesaswellasthedeeptechnicalexpertisenecessarytodevelopsuchmodifiedmeasurementmethodsontheirown.Therefore,theANTICSSprojectrecommendedthatthemodifiedtestconditionsshouldbecomepartofthefinalharmonisedstandard(s),e.g.inaspecificpartthereofdevotedtopreventionofcircumvention,withtheaimthattheywillbelegallyusablebyMarketSurveillanceAuthorities,andcouldconstitutealegalbasisforaneventualenforcementactionagainstthecircumventingmodels.Itisexpectedthatoncethemodifiedtestmethodsarepartofthestandardthepossibilitytohaveacircumventingmodelwillbecomemoreandmorecostlyandtimeconsumingformanufacturers,duetothetimeneededtodevelopfurthercircumventionbehavioursnon-detectablealsoundermodifiedtests.However,alsofeedbackfromstandardisationorganisationshas revealed that resources inaddition to the regulardevelopmentandrevisionofharmonisedteststandardsareratherlimited.
39final report – september 2021
Forthisreason,wesummarisetheneedforfurtherresearchasfollows:
Furtherfinetuningofthedefinitionofcircumvention: Specificationofthetypesofpre-setormanualalterationoftheproductthataffectperformance
and/orresourceconsumptionduringtestingandshouldbeconsideredasacircumvention. (legal)relevanceoftheintention/unintentionintheassessmentofthedesignactascircumvention.
FurtherdevelopmentoftheANTICSSclassificationofcasesandmodels,especiallythecategorisationandconsequencesofjeopardyeffectswithtestedmodelsresultingintoborderlinetocircumvention.
Furtherdevelopmentofmodifiedtestmethods(e.g.randomisedtestpatterns)includingtheassessmentoftheirreproducibilityandrepeatability,andthedefinitionof‘circumventiontolerances’inthosecaseswherepotentialdeviationsbetweentheharmonisedandthemodifiedtestprocedurecouldbeduetotheadaptationsofthetestmethodologyitself.
‘Resilience check’ of current standards, i.e. the analysis of which of the test parameters could berandomisedorslightlymodifiedwithout influencingthe test results for the regulatory requirementsand therefore serve as potential basis for detection of circumvention through the identification ofunjustifiedabnormalreactionofthetestedmodelstothesevariations.
Analysisoflatestlegislationandstandardsfor(new)loopholesandweaknessesthatmightfacilitatecircumvention, includingtheanalysisof furtherproductcategoriesnotyet in focusof theANTICSSprojectfortheirpotentialofcircumvention.
Establishingacommunicationorcollaborationplatform–engagingallrelevantstakeholderssuchasEuropeanCommission,MarketSurveillanceAuthorities,EuropeanStandardisationOrganisations,testlaboratories,industryandNGOs–toexchangeexperiencesanddiscussthechallengesandconclusionsofassessmentsofproductssuspectofcircumvention.
d a
40final report – september 2021
ContaCts
Thesoleresponsibilityforthecontentofthisdocumentlieswiththeauthors.Itdoesnotnecessarilyreflectthereflecttheopinion oftheEuropeanUnion.SupportedbytheHorizon2020programmeoftheEuropeanUnionundergrantagreementno.785122.
project coordinator
ms. Kathrin graulich DeputyHeadofSustainableProducts
andMaterialFlowsDivision Oeko-Institute.V. P.O.Box1771|D-79017Freiburg Germany Email:K.graulich@oeko.de www.oeko.de
proJeCt partners
https://twitter.com/anticircumvent
www.anti-circumvention.eu
https://www.linkedin.com/company/anticss/
eneaAgenzianazionaleperlenuovetecnologie, l‘energiaelosviluppoeconomicosostenibile CCiaa mi Cameradicommercioindustriaartigianatoagricoltura
imQIstitutoItalianodelMarchiodiQualitàS.p.A.
adeneAdene-agenciaparaaenergia
asaeAutoridadesegurancaalimentareeconomica
bHtCServicepublicfederal
santepublique,securite delachainealimentaire
etenvironnement
ffii – lCoe Fundacionparaelfomento delainnovacionindustrial
Cm ComunidaddeMadrid
eCosEuropeanEnvironmentalCitizens OrganisationforStandardisation
re/gentRe/gentB.V.
nvWaNederlandsevoedsel
enwarenautoriteit
sevenSEVEn,TheEnergyEfficiencyCenter,z.u.
seiaStátníenergetickáinspekce
aeaÖsterreichischeEnergieagentur
bmdWBundesministeriumDigitalisierung undWirtschaftsstandort
oeKoOeko-Institute.V.,InstitutfürAngewandteÖkologie
grsRegierungvonSchwaben–Gewerbeaufsichtsamt
ubonnRheinischeFriedrich-Wilhelms-UniversitätBonn
vdeVDEPrüf-undZertifizierungsinstitutGmbH