Coming soon: New additions to the Energy Technology List
Introducing the Professional Foodservice Equipment category, Building Energy Management Systems, Commercial Fans and more.
ICF gave an update at the Foodservice Equipment Association’s Annual Conference recently on the much-anticipated launch of a suite of new energy efficiency performance standards for Professional Foodservice Equipment. Read on to find out more about the update.
A need for change
Against a backdrop of spiralling energy costs, the need to procure energy efficient equipment has only increased over the last year. We’re seeking to help buyers lower their running costs, as well as help manufacturers in need of independent verification of the energy performance of their products in order to provide assurance to their customers.
The PFSE sector
Besides refrigerated storage cabinets, the professional kitchen is largely unregulated from an energy consumption perspective. There are no Minimum Ecodesign Performance Standards (MEPS) and no mandatory labelling (e.g., A-G), prospects for either remain in the medium-term.
ICF’s own research identified the challenges buyers face when trying to find independent, verified information about the energy consumption and relative performance of Professional Foodservice Equipment.
Our progress so far
To address these deficiencies and fill the gap, BEIS has commissioned multiple research strands – one of which has been the Energy Technology List, scoping studies on professional ovens, professional dishwashers, hobs and grills, spanning the last two and a half years.
We've been collaborating with multiple manufacturers to collect data and insights, run workshops, build a knowledge base, share proposals and receiving feedback. All with the backing of the FEA and Chairs of the respective FEA Product Group Forums.
We’ve worked with colleagues in the UK and where relevant Head Offices across Europe and as a result of this collaboration, the Energy Technology List has become a key underpinning instrument for the successful implementation of FEA’s 5 Point Plan for Net Zero Carbon.
What’s new?
In the coming weeks, we’ll launch our 19th technology family covering Professional Foodservice Equipment, with product criteria covering combination steam ovens, convection ovens, undercounter dishwashers and hood-type dishwashers.
For manufacturers, this will be the first opportunity to showcase energy efficient Professional Foodservice Equipment in the UK – an approval, which is backed by Government, verified and impartial. If proposals in the Government’s Public Sector Food and Catering Policy consultation earlier this year on Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services are implemented, it will be mandatory for central government to procure professional ovens and dishwashers that meet criteria in the Energy Technology List.
More than PFSE
We won’t just be launching new criteria in Professional Foodservice, but also in other sub-technology areas, such as Building Energy Management Systems and Commercial Fans, plus revising 13 other existing sets of technology criteria including boiler, refrigeration, HVAC and compressed air equipment as well as lighting, energy monitoring and hand dryers. This, combined with new approaches to listing and promoting energy efficient lighting, presents an opportunity for the PFSE industry to be part of something bigger, and for buyers to know there are energy efficient versions of many of the products they need for their operations.
Benefits of the ETL accreditation
ETL accreditation acts as a future proof to the potential introduction of MEPS in the UK. We’ve provided a testbed for the introduction of energy performance standards for unregulated energy-related products. Our website’s new API functionality widens the opportunity for procurers to source products from the ETL, expands the “shop window” for manufacturer’s ETL approved products, and allows buyers to integrate the ETL dataset within their internal procurement processes.
Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll be stepping up our marketing and communications activity to support the launch of new criteria.
Not only does ETL accreditation future proof a product, it validates its energy efficiency. Being on the ETL provides increased visibility and can be seen as a direct sales channel with additional marketing and advertising. Get in touch with us if you’d like to register your products with the ETL, or to partner in a case study of your journey to energy efficiency.