NEW REGULATION FOR REFRIGERATING APPLIANCES WITH A DIRECT SALES FUNCTION : Since 01 March 2021, the new EU energy label and ecodesign regulation for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function (incl. refrigerated vending machines) have come into effect. The most important details and requirements as well as the differences in minimum efficiency requirements between the EU and Switzerland can be found in this Topten summary. You want to know what energy class your appliance now has? The Topten Check Excel for Display Refrigerators calculates EEI, energy class, conformity with Swiss efficiency requirements and indicates qualification for listing on Topten.

Methodology

Topten.eu presents the most energy efficient refrigerated vending machines on the European market. All listed products use natural climate-friendly refrigerants.

Scope

The refrigerated vending machines listed:

• are plug-in cabinets (remote cabinets are not considered)
• are available on the European market

Technical criteria

All models on Topten.eu meet the following criteria:

• Natural refrigerant with global warming potential (GWP) ≤ 3 (e.g. R290/propane, R600a/isobutane, R744/CO2)
• Energy efficiency class D or better (EEI < 50)

Energy consumption

• Measurement according to European standard for vending machines (EN IEC 603252:2020)
  while measured at 25°C, 60% relative humidity (climate class 3)

Data sources

Data according to the above standards is provided by manufacturers.

Calculation of the energy efficiency index (EEI)

EEI = (AEC/SAEC)*100 = (TEC * 365 / ((M + N * Y) * 365 * P * C)) * 100

Category	Value for M	Value for N	Value for Y	Value for P	Value for C
Refrigerated Vending Machines	4.1	0.004	Vn	1.00	1+(12-Tv)/25

TEC = energy consumption over 24h
Vn = net volume in litres
Tv according to the table below

Order of presentation

Products are ranked according to energy efficiency index (EEI). The order of presentation can be changed by selecting the sorting order on the right top of the list.

Glossary

Brand, Model, Other models

Brand with link to website. All other models (different sizes etc.) that are named meet the Topten technical criteria as well.

Electricity costs

Costs for electricity during product's life time. Assumptions:

• Typical life time: 8 years
• Annual energy consumption: Value from product list in kWh/year
• Tariff of electricity: 0.3 €/kWh (there however can be large differences depending on country or electrical utility)

Net volume, Gross volume

Net / gross volume in liters.

Storage temperatures

Storage temperature range in °C.

Energy

Annual energy consumption in kWh/year. Accepted measuring protocols see above.

Refrigerant

• R600a (isobutane, climate-friendly refrigerant)
• R290 (propane, climate-friendly refrigerant)
• R744 (CO2, climate-friendly refrigerant)
• Inefficient models: R134a, R404A or R507 (fluorinated refrigerants with high global warming potential)

Cooling

• Static
• Forced-air

Dimensions

Width x depth x height in cm.

Countries available

This item displays the availability of models in European countries according to producers’ information. "EU" means that the model is available in all or most European countries. If the model is available in a number of countries only they are indicated by country codes according to ISO. "On demand" means that producers could not indicate the availability and that consumers have to ask in their countries on their own.

Infoplus

Publications

• The first energy labels for professional cooling appliances - lessons learnt. Steffen Hepp, Maike Hepp. EEDAL 2022, Paper and presentation
• Topten Summary on Energy Labelling and Ecodesign Regulation for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function, Nov. 2020
• Memo on product declaration to Topten
• ProCold Publishable Report, project results 2016-2018, July 2018
• ProCold Technical Report, market overview and development 2016-2018, April 2018

Standards and labels

• EN IEC 603252:2020 Energy consumption of Vending Machines - Classification, requirements and test conditions
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), CEN-CENELEC

Energy label and ecodesign requirements:

• European Vending Association (EVA), vending-europe.eu > Standards &Protocols > EVA EMP – Energy Measurement Protocol
• Commission regulation (EU) 2019/2018 on energy labelling of refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function
• Commission regulation (EU) 2019/2024 with regard to Ecodesign requirements for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function, 05.12.2019
• Topten Policy Recommendations for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function from December 2018

Links

• Energy efficiency measures by the European Commission.
• eceee, the European council for an energy efficient economy, provides a status overview on all products in the Ecodesign & Energy Labelling process.
• Coolproducts informs about the EU ecodesign process. It is a coalition of NGOs' campaign for a stronger, fast Ecodesign Directive to save the climate and money.
• ECOS (Ecostandard) is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws.
• EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) is the European product database. Products with an energy label are registered in EPREL in order to provide consumers with detailed product information.

Manufacturers and dealers are kindly asked to contact info(at)topten.info to inform about more products meeting the Topten selection criteria.

• Topten Check Excel Display Cabinets - easy check and energy class calculation for appliances
• Submission Excel Display Refrigerators for manufacturers - list your efficient products on Topten

04/2025 Hepp