Detecting and preventing manipulation of standards test scores of energy-related products is the goal of the European project ANTICSS (Anti-Circumvention of Standards for better market Surveillance), comprising researchers from 19 institutions^[1] in eight EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain). ENEA, the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Institute of Quality Mark (IMQ) as test and measurement laboratory, attended for italy.

Researchers indicate two ways of closing loopholes to the circumventing of the energy labeling and eco-design legislation: firstly, the EU should expand the definition of circumvention which currently covers only hidden software used to obtain more favorable evaluations by manipulating the laboratory test results; secondly, national market surveillance authorities should be provided with a legal basis for the use of the modified measurement methods to detect circumvention.

The ANTICSS research team used these measurement methods to analyze 18 suspected cases of eight product groups: four laboratories in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain tested 24 selected models: six showed a circumvention or borderline to circumvention behaviour.

If these behaviors were to be adopted broadly, the expected annual CO₂ emissions decrease due to the improved efficiency of the appliances involved could be reduced by about 200 thousand tons.

"The European Union should put an end to the possibility of circumventing legislation and regulations as quickly as possible," said project manager Kathrin Graulich of the Oeko-Institut.

“It's not just about the possible loss of potential energy savings. The loss of consumers and producers’ trust in two legislative tools - eco-design and energy labeling-  whose effectiveness is established, would cause incalculable damage ” explained ENEA researcher Milena Presutto.

The report ANTICSS Final report: Closing all roads to circumvention is available at: https://www.anti-circumvention.eu/storage/app/media/AntiCSS_FINAL_REPORT.pdf

For more information please contact:

Milena Presutto, ENEA – Department Energy Unit Efficiency, milena.presutto@enea.it

^[1 In addition to the three Italian partners the following participated in the project :, Österreichische Energieagentur - AEA (Austria), Bundesministerium für Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstandort - BMDW (Austria), European Environmental Citizens Organization for Standardization - ECOS (Belgium), Service public federal sante publique, securite de la chaine alimentaire et environnement - BHTC (Belgium), Öko-Institut eV, Institute for Applied Ecology - OEKO (Germany), Regierung von Schwaben - Gewerbeaufsichtsamt - GRS (Germany), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn - UBonn (Germany), VDE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH - VDE (Germany), Regent BV - Re / gen (Netherlands), Nederlandse voedsel en warenautoriteit - NVWA (Netherlands), Adene-agencia para a energia - ADENE (Portugal), Autoridade seguranca alimentar e economic - ASAE (Portugal), SEVEn, the Energy Efficiency Center, zu - SEVEn (Czech Republic); Státní energetická inspekce - SEIA (Czech Republic), Fundacion para el fomento de la innovacion industrial - FFII-LCOE (Spain), Comunidad de Madrid - CM (Spain).