Ecodesign compliance checker — air heaters, heat pumps, chillers, air conditioners & process chillers
Check an air heater, air-to-air heat pump, chiller, air conditioner or high-temperature process chiller against the minimum efficiency and NOx thresholds of Regulation (EU) 2016/2281. Enter the values your manufacturer already declares on the product's technical documentation and get a straight pass/fail against both the 2018 and the current 2021 tier.
How to use this checker
- Pick the device type — air heater, air-to-air heat pump, chiller/AC, high-temperature process chiller, or fan coil unit. Each has its own table in the regulation.
- Pick the subtype that matches your product — fuel, drive type, heat rejection method — since the threshold depends on it.
- Enter the values already on the product's technical documentation: rated output, declared seasonal efficiency (ηs,h / ηs,c / SEPR) and, where applicable, declared NOx.
- Read the verdict against the 2021 tier, which is the one currently in force, plus the 2018 figure for reference.
What this checker does — and doesn't — do
Regulation (EU) 2016/2281 sets minimum thresholds directly in its own text (Annex II), but it delegates the detailed measurement and calculation methodology to separate harmonised standards that aren't publicly available. This tool doesn't try to reconstruct that methodology from first principles. Instead it takes the efficiency and NOx figures a manufacturer is already legally required to declare — on the rating plate, in the technical documentation, and on their website — and checks them directly against the regulation's own published tables. It's a compliance screen, not a substitute for the manufacturer's own conformity assessment.
Air heaters — minimum ηs,h
| Category | Tier 1 (2018) | Tier 2 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Gas/liquid air heater, standard | 72% | 78% |
| B1 < 10 kW or C2/C4 < 15 kW | 68% | 78% (exception removed) |
| Electric air heater | 30% | 31% |
| Air-to-air heat pump, electric, excl. rooftop | 133% | 137% |
| Rooftop heat pump | 115% | 125% |
| Air-to-air heat pump, ICE-driven | 120% | 130% |
The small-unit exception disappears in 2021. Table 1 gave B1 air heaters under 10 kW and C2/C4 air heaters under 15 kW a lower 68% bar in 2018. Table 2 removes that row entirely — from 2021 every non-electric air heater, regardless of size, has to reach 78%. A heater that legitimately passed in 2018 at 70% is non-compliant today.
Chillers and air conditioners — minimum ηs,c
| Category | Tier 1 (2018) | Tier 2 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Air-to-water chiller, electric, < 400 kW | 149% | 161% |
| Air-to-water chiller, electric, ≥ 400 kW | 161% | 179% |
| Water/brine-to-water chiller, electric, < 400 kW | 196% | 200% |
| Water/brine-to-water chiller, electric, 400–1500 kW | 227% | 252% |
| Water/brine-to-water chiller, electric, ≥ 1500 kW | 245% | 272% |
| Air-to-water chiller, ICE-driven | 144% | 154% (≥400 kW only) |
| Air-to-air AC, electric, excl. rooftop | 181% | 189% |
| Rooftop air conditioner | 117% | 138% |
| Air-to-air AC, ICE-driven | 157% | 167% |
High-temperature process chillers — minimum SEPR
| Heat rejection | Capacity | Tier 1 (2018) | Tier 2 (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air | < 400 kW | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Air | ≥ 400 kW | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| Water | < 400 kW | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| Water | 400–1500 kW | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Water | ≥ 1500 kW | 8.0 | 8.5 |
NOx limits
Air heater NOx tightens in 2021; heat pump, chiller and AC NOx (for internal-combustion-engine-driven units) is set once, from 26 September 2018, with no later revision in this regulation.
| Category | Tier 1 | Tier 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Air heater, gas-fired | 100 mg/kWh (from 2018-09-26) | 70 mg/kWh (from 2021-01-01) |
| Air heater, liquid-fired | 180 mg/kWh | 150 mg/kWh |
| Heat pump/chiller/AC, external combustion, gas | 70 mg/kWh | — |
| Heat pump/chiller/AC, external combustion, liquid | 120 mg/kWh | — |
| Heat pump/chiller/AC, internal combustion, gas | 240 mg/kWh | — |
| Heat pump/chiller/AC, internal combustion, liquid | 420 mg/kWh | — |
Fan coil units
Fan coil units have no heat or cold source of their own, so this regulation doesn't set a minimum efficiency or NOx threshold for them — only a requirement to declare rated cooling capacity, rated heating capacity and total electrical power in the technical documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What does Regulation (EU) 2016/2281 cover?
Air heating products up to 1 MW rated heat output, cooling products and high-temperature process chillers up to 2 MW rated cooling capacity, and fan coil units. It excludes products already covered by other ecodesign regulations (local space heaters, portable air conditioners, multi-functional heaters), biomass- or solid-fuel-fired products, cogeneration products, and several other listed exclusions.
Does this tool calculate seasonal efficiency from scratch?
No. The regulation's own text sets the minimum thresholds (Annex II) but delegates the detailed measurement and calculation method to separate, non-public harmonised standards. This tool checks a product's already-declared efficiency and NOx figures against those thresholds — it does not derive efficiency from raw technical data.
Why are there two thresholds, 2018 and 2021?
The regulation phases in two tiers. Tier 1 applied from 1 January 2018 (efficiency) and 26 September 2018 (NOx). Tier 2, the stricter level, applied from 1 January 2021. Since both dates have passed, Tier 2 is the current binding minimum for any product placed on the market today.
Did small B1, C2 and C4 air heaters keep their lower efficiency exception in 2021?
No. Table 1 gave B1 air heaters below 10 kW and C2/C4 air heaters below 15 kW a lower minimum of 68%, against 72% for standard units. Table 2 removes that exception — every non-electric air heater, regardless of size or flue type, must reach 78% from 2021.
Is a fan coil unit required to meet a minimum efficiency under this regulation?
No. Annex II only requires fan coil units to publish declared performance information — there is no minimum efficiency or NOx threshold for this product category.