*Hong Kong Hong Kong to revise the “Code of Practice on Energy Labeling of Products”

LED lamps, gas cookers and gas water heaters are added as the mandatory target products

Hong Kong to revise the “Code of Practice on Energy Labeling of Products”

NOTE:
On November 11, 2022, the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department promulgated the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2022, which adds LED lights, gas stoves, and gas water heaters to products that require energy efficiency labels. See more details below:
Hong Kong EPD adds LED lights, gas stoves, and gas water heaters to energy efficiency labels scheme

 

In June 2022, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) announced the revision draft on the “Code of Practice on Energy Labeling of Products” and started to solicit opinions, the period for submitting opinions started on June 15, 2022, and will last to August 14,2022. According to the revision draft, as the Fourth Phase of the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labeling Scheme, LED lamps, gas cookers and gas water heaters will be added as mandatory target products, and these products will be required to affix energy efficiency labels for sale in Hong Kong in the coming future. To promote the use of energy-saving products, the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labeling Scheme was introduced in 2009 under the regulations of “Energy Efficiency (Labeling of Products) Ordinance”, Chapter 598; at the current moment, there are 8 types of products have been included as the mandatory target products, such as room air conditioners, refrigerating appliances, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), washing machines, dehumidifiers, televisions, storage type electric water heaters and induction cookers.

 

The main revisions

The “Code of Practice on Energy Labeling of Products” was issued to set out testing standards, calculation methods, and energy efficiency evaluation methods for target products, and to provide implementation guidelines and technical rules for carrying out the work of affixing energy labels to products. This revision added the application scopes, testing standards, calculation methods, energy efficiency evaluation methods, and specifications of energy labels for these 3 newly added target products: LED lamps, gas stoves, and gas water heaters.

 

Application scope

The application scopes of these 3 newly added target products (LED lamps, gas stoves and gas water heaters) are shown in the table below.

Products Application scope Outside the scope of application
LED lamps A product:
(a) that is a type of directional or non-directional lighting emitting diode lamp which has a single lamp cap;
(b) that is of integrated type; and
(c) that is intended for general lighting purposes, and uses public electricity as the only power source and has rated lamp wattage up to 60W.
(a) LED tubes;
(b) LED lamps that solely produce colored and tinted light; or
(c) organic LED lamps.
Gas stoves A product:

(a)that is a gas appliance that supports containers with bracket and the containers are heated in direct contact with the flames;
(b) that is a domestic gas appliance which is installed at a fixed place for indoor application; and
(c) that burns gas as defined in the “Gas Safety Ordinance”, Chapter 51, has a rated heat input not exceeding 7kW for each burner, and is either table-top type or built-in type.

Gas water heaters A product:
(a) that is an appliance having a mechanism capable of opening and closing the gas passage by using the water supply, and heating water by combustion of gas while the water is passing through a heat exchanger;
(b) that is a domestic appliance which is installed at a fixed place and designed for indoor application; and
(c) that burns gas as defined in the “Gas Safety Ordinance”, Chapter 51, and has a rated heat input not exceeding 70kW.
Storage gas water heaters

 

Specifications of energy label

The following is an example to introduce the specifications of energy label for LED lamps. The coloring and design of the energy label shall meet the requirements specified in the diagram below.

Figure: Specifications for coloring and design of the energy label

 

For the original text of the above revision draft, please refer to the following URL (in English).
https://www.emsd.gov.hk/energylabel/en/consultation.html

Author / Responsibility

LIU Yake

Researcher, Research & Consulting Dept. EnviX Ltd.

Business Performance

worked as a research assistant at Department of Environmental Planning and Management, School of Environment, Tsinghua University for 4 years, and then joint in Envix in April, 2022, currently is mainly responsible for consulting on EHS regulation compliance in East Asia.

Background

MA, Environmental Econimics, Hiroshima University

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