Israel Import Reform for Electrical Products Energy Efficiency

On Nov. 8, 2021, the Ministry of Energy (MOE) published an Economic Plan, Law 5722-2021 to amend the legislation in implementing economic policy budget changes for 2021 and 2022. This amendment has strongly impacted the Energy Sources Law that requires an Energy Efficiency label for Electrical Appliances in Israel.

As part of Amendment No. 3 to the Energy Sources Law, 5759-1989 of 18.11.2021, it was established that to obtain an energy permit and import into Israel, electrical products appearing in the law’s third addendum, an importer or manufacturer must meet three European import legal requirements:

• Ecodesign requirements
• Standby/off-mode requirements
• Energy labelling requirements

Electric appliances required to comply with Ecodesign requirements in the European route are:

1. Water cooling units operating in a vapor compression cycle (Chillers)
2. Air conditioners
3. Refrigerators
4. Washers
5. Dryers
6. Dishwashers
7. Stoves/Ovens
8. Lamps (Bulbs)
9. Fluorescent Lamps
10. Digital channel converters for the reception of television broadcasts
11. TVs
12. Three-phase asynchronous electric induction motors cages

Electric Appliances required to withstand standby/off-mode requirements in the European route are:

1. Air conditioners
2. Refrigerators
3. Washing machines
4. Tumble dryers
5. Dishwashers
6. Stoves/Ovens
7. Microwave ovens
8. Information technology equipment:
   • Computers
   • Computer screens
   • Printers
9. Audio equipment:
   • Radios
   • Cordless telephones
10. TVs
11. Digital converters

Electrical appliances in the European route that must be accompanied by an energy label are:

1. Air conditioners
2. Refrigerators
3. Washing machines
4. Laundry dryers
5. Dishwashers
6. Baking ovens
7. Bulbs
8. TVs
9. Computer screens

As part of the import route based on the “European declaration,” importers must submit the application form for obtaining an energy permit, a commitment and other documents in accordance with the following details:

• A confirmation that the product for which approval was requested is the same as the one described in the documentation.
• Attach one of the following documents:
  1. Document declaration of conformity to European regulations and standards DOC (Declaration of Conformity) in English, on behalf of the manufacturer or on behalf of a representative authorized by the manufacturer.
  2. A certificate of inspection from an accredited laboratory of the ILAC organization, from MTA or from another approved laboratory, proving that the product meets the legal requirements of European imports.
  3. Any other document determined by the minister, which has the purpose of proving the conformity of the product to the legal European import requirements.
• The presentation of an energy rating label that indicates the product’s level of energy efficiency, if one is mandated in Europe. An energy label must be shown as specified in the applicable guidelines document on the ministry’s website if the specific electrical product is not marketed in Europe.
• For the relevant product (refrigerator, air conditioner or chiller), an old world form must be provided if the importer intends to import in accordance with a laboratory test route in compliance with energy sources requirements, as it did before the reform. Other products include the requirement to fill out an application for an energy certificate and select a laboratory test method in accordance with the energy sources requirements.

The Ministry of Energy published the document Questions and Answers Regarding the Import Reform for Electrical Products that clarifies the criteria and requirements for the products covered by regulations.

And the following Excel files:

1. Threshold Conditions for European Regulation for Import Reform Products, which covers:
   • Energy label link, version/year and last update
   • Eco-Design link, version/year and last update
   • Energy efficiency class
   • Energy efficiency index (entry into force and threshold conditions)
   • Table efficiency
   • Terminologies
2. European Regulation and Standardization Database for Import Reform Products, which includes details for each product with corresponding:
   • Israeli Regulations
   • Relevant Israeli standards
   • Adopted foreign standards
   • European Regulations with date of effectivity

Importers must submit the application form for obtaining an energy permit, a commitment and other documents in accordance with the following details:

• A confirmation that the product for which approval was requested is the same as the one described in the documentation.
• Attach one of the following documents:
  1. Document declaration of conformity to European regulations and standards DOC (Declaration of Conformity) in English, on behalf of the manufacturer or on behalf of a representative authorized by the manufacturer.
  2. A certificate of inspection from an accredited laboratory of the ILAC organization, from MTA or from another approved laboratory, proving that the product meets the legal requirements of European imports.
  3. Any other document determined by the ministry, which has the purpose of proving the conformity of the product to the legal European import requirements.
• The presentation of an energy rating label that indicates the product's level of energy efficiency, if one is mandated in Europe. An energy label must be shown as specified in the applicable guidelines document on the ministry's website if the specific electrical product is not marketed in Europe.

Based on indications provided by the Ministry of the Energy, a manufacturer or an importer can declare the conformity with the relevant EU regulations without performing testing in a third party ILAC laboratory. As of today, the recommended path of compliance is the ILAC laboratory route to avoid possible retesting at the custom site or retesting required by local authority.

Reference

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