This is due to the enforcement of a Commission Regulation for glandless circulators under the European Ecodesign Directive. Throughout the EU, it will introduce increasingly stricter requirements on the energy efficiency of glandless circulators in three stages beginning in 2013.

Currently, many heating systems are equipped with unregulated circulators. As a result, unnecessary amounts of energy are consumed – energy consumption is up to ten times higher than required by the latest pump generation. For this reason, under the directive, only high-efficiency pumps with extremely low energy consumption will be permitted to be sold. This will not only provide environmental benefits, the building owners and users will also benefit from a lower energy bill. Of course, this option is already possible today, as this pump technology is currently available for many applications. For this reason, switching to the latest pump generation is a good investment for the future and is also worth it in the short term!

The Ecodesign Directive is orientated towards eliminating the majority of inefficient glandless circulators currently available on the market. At the same time, it will trigger a massive wave of innovations to develop newer, more efficient pumps. From 2011, another Commission Regulation under the European Ecodesign Directive will also be regulating the energy efficiency of electric motors. Glanded pumps are also affected by this. You can read more on what this means specifically for your market and how you can prepare for it in your edition of HEnews.