ErP 2026: the new fan efficiency
rules explained.
From 24 July 2026, an update to the EU 2024/1834 Ecodesign Directive regulation changes the minimum efficiency, labelling and spare-parts rules for fans between 125W and 500kW. Here's exactly what it means for your industrial purchasing and how you work with us at Axair
What is the Erp Regulation (EU) 2024/1834?
ErP stands for Energy-related Products, the EU's ecodesign framework for improving the energy efficiency of products used across industry. Regulation (EU) 2024/1834 sets new minimum efficiency, labelling and spare-parts standards specifically for fans with an electric input power between 125W and 500kW, replacing the previous 2011 rules. It's part of a wider EU effort to cut energy use and carbon emissions from industrial equipment, and it applies to fans newly placed on the EU market from 24 July 2026.
If you've already got a fan installed, including one built into equipment such as an Air Handling Unit, you don't need to replace it immediately because of this regulation. Fans integrated into equipment that was already on the market before 24 July 2026 can continue to be sold and used until 24 July 2027 under the previous rules, giving manufacturers and buyers time to test, specify and design in new compliant models that replace any none compliant models. Beyond that date, if a compliant replacement isn't available for your specific installation, a non-compliant "legacy spare part" fan can still be supplied for repairs until 24 July 2037.
If you're not sure whether your fans comply, follow the steps below to determine your next steps, or if you're still not sure, get in touch and we'll guide you through it.
Does this apply to your fan?
Some fan types and applications are automatically exempt from the new rules. The following questions help to determine whether the regulation applies to your fans. If your fans are exempt from the regulation, then none of the rest of this page applies to that product and you can carry on as normal.
Check if Your Fan is in the ERP 2026 Scope
Scope is initially set by electric input power at the fan's Best Efficiency Point (BEP), the point where it runs most efficiently. Everything else (efficiency %, labelling, spare parts) only applies once a fan sits within the given parameters.
Some specific fan types and applications are exempt outright: motor-cooling impellers, fans for hazardous areas, fans handling of toxic or corrosive gases and air circulating fans, see the full list below.
Ask our technical team if you're unsure whether a specific fan type or application is exempt.
Email Us
- 1Is the fan's electric input power at its best efficient point between 125W and 500kW?.
Yes - ERP 2026 rules apply.
No - Then it's exempt. - 2Is the fan included in the product type or applications exemptions listed below?
Yes - Then it's exempt.
No - The ERP 2026 rules apply. - 3Is this a standalone fan or one already integrated into equipment placed on the market before 24 July 2026?
Standalone fan - ERP 2026 rules apply from 24 July 2026.
Already integrated into equipment on the market before 24 July 2026. The regulation provides a one-year transition until 24th July 2027 for that specific fan model. This means you can continue to purchase and use that fan model, integrated into that equipment, until 24th July 2027. During this transition period you should look to source a new model that complies with regulation 2024/1834 to ensure that any new fans placed on the market after the July 2027 deadline comply.
CHECK THE EXEMPTION LIST
The directive excludes the below specific fan types and applications so they fall outside scope entirely. It is important to note that a fan designed for an exempt application or environment, is not exempt if placed in an alternative environment. For example a fume extraction fan used in a clean air application.
By Product Type
- Impellers mounted solely to cool the motor they're attached to.
- Fans in laundry/washer-dryers rated 3kW or less.
- Kitchen hood fans rated below 280W
- Fans with a best efficiency point at 8,000 rpm or more.
- Jet fans rated below 750W
Hazardous or Regulated Gas Handling
- Toxic, highly corrosive or flammable gases or vapours.
- Explosive atmospheres (ATEX).
- Biohazardous substances (risk groups 2, 3 and 4).
- Carcinogens or mutagens
- Gases with a compressibility factor other than 1.00 at the designated pressure/temperature range.
Extreme Operating Conditions
- Gas temperatures above 100°C or below −40°C.
- Ambient motor temperatures above 60°C or below −30°C.
- Supply voltage above 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V DC.
- Abrasive material transport, solid particle concentration above 10 mg/m³, particle size 0.1 mm or more, Mohs hardness 2 or more, and average blade angle 50–90° (all four conditions apply together)
Critical Infrastructure & Mobile Equipment
- Emergency fire-safety duty (300°C+, capable of 1 hour or more short-time operation).
- Nuclear installations
- Military establishments and civil defence bunkers.
- Cordless or battery-powered equipment
- Handheld equipment, weight supported by hand during use.
- Hand-guided mobile equipment, moved while operating.
- Air circulating fans. (For definitions of air circulating fans refer to clause 31 of Article 2 in the official regulation)
The key dates
Three key dates matter when it comes to understanding what you need to do next to remain compliant with ERP 2026.
Minimum efficiency for fans between 125W and 500kW, product-information and spare parts requirements apply to fans placed on the market from this date.
327/2011 legacy deadline for embedded fans integrated into other equipment. Performance curves at partial load (minimum three speed points) become mandatory on datasheets.
Final cut-off for supplying "spare parts" for fans that were legitimately placed on the market before July 2026.
What's actually changing
Our team have done the deep dive on the regulation to highlight the practical shifts that will happen when repealing regulation (EU) No 327/2011, we've laid out the key changes behind the legal language to help you understand easily.
Complete Fan Units
The regulation now evaluates the fan as a complete unit. It is the combined system performance that counts, meaning new CE liability rules for buyers of parts and components only. See CE liability card
Motor & Rotor & Stator = Overall Complete Fan Efficiency.
Fan Manufacturer CE Liability
If a customer buys an incomplete product (not the Motor & Rotor & Stator together) changes the physical dimensions or swaps a component, they are altering the complete fans efficiency calculation.
Consequently with an incomplete fan, the CE compliance burden shifts directly to them.
Clear Datasheet & Name Plate
three measured data points at 40-50% speed, a mid point and inherent speed, and clear labelling including fan type, efficiency, measurement category, N-grade, inherent speed and more, must appear on the datasheet, in the technical file, and on a public webpage for at least 20 years after the last unit is sold.
.Higher efficiency bar
Every fan's minimum efficiency now depends on its type (axial, centrifugal sub-type, mixed-flow, jet, cross-flow) and its own input power, measured as a ratio of usable air power out versus electrical power in, not input power alone.
.Focus on End-of-Life
Ecodesign regulations now extend to stringent new resource, disassembly and end-of-life recycling requirements. Fans must be explicitly designed so that materials and components can be removed for recovery and recycling using common tools.
.Longer spares commitment
Spares must be available from the manufacturer to professional repairers, for at least 10 years after the final unit of a model is placed on the market. Repair manuals, disassembly maps and diagnostic fault codes must be accessible to repairers.
.Not sure how this affects your spec?
Our technical team can review your current fan range against the new N-grades and flag anything that needs attention before July 2026.
Get in TouchWant the full breakdown?
Download the official commission regulation (EU) 2024/1834 ecodesign requirements for fans driven by motors with an electric input power between 125W and 500kW repealing (EU) 327/2011.
Download The Official RegulationCOMPLIANCE STATUSES
To reiterate, fans placed after 24th July 2026 will sit within one of the below compliance statuses. Compliance should show on the packaging, or the product itself in the absence of packaging, the technical data sheet or user manual supplied with the fan, and product information available online.
Meets the 2024/1834 minimum efficiency grade for its fan type and power. Suitable for new installations placed on the market on or after 24 July 2026.
Falls outside scope entirely so is classed as exempt, see the full exemptions list above, spanning product type, hazardous, extreme and corrosive conditions.
Does not meet 2024/1834. Must be compulsorily labelled "This fan does not meet the performance requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1834 with regard to ecodesign requirements for fans driven by motors with an electric input power between 125 W and 500 kW, and can only be used to replace a corresponding existing fan placed on the market before 24 July 2026 and integrated into a product, because no compliant fan is fit to be used as a replacement." These can only be supplied until July 2037 to replace an existing fan already integrated into a product placed on the market before 24 July 2026, where there is no compliant fan that will fit.
FAQs
Do I need to replace fans already installed?
No. The regulation only applies to fans newly placed on the market, it does not require existing, already-installed fans to be swapped out.
What if my fan is custom-built for one project?
Custom fans follow a different disclosure route. Performance information is provided on the datasheet alongside our quote offer to the customer directly rather than on a public website, and they're exempt from the 2027 partial-load curve requirement.
Who's legally responsible for compliance? Axair, The Fan Manufacturer or the OEM component supplier?
Whoever manufactured the complete finished fan unit as it is when it is placed on the market is responsible. If you made amends to the fan unit such as replacing the stator or impeller from what it was originally CE marked against, then you are the fan manufacturer and therefore responsible for its compliance. This is long-standing EU product law, not new to this regulation, but because compliance is now judged on the complete assembled fan rather than individual parts, altering or reassembling components changes who holds that responsibility more often than it used to. Speak to your account manager or technical team if you'd like further clarification on who is the manufacturer in your case.
Does this apply outside the EU?
This is an EU regulation, and its application outside the EU depends on local rules, which can change over time. For now the updated EU 2026 Ecodesign regulation for industrial fans does not automatically apply when placing product on the market in Great Britain, but UK manufacturers exporting to the EU must comply, and the UK maintains its own parallel energy-related products framework which regularly adopt EU law as statutory instruments, so preparation is key.
Need Something to Email to Your Team?
Download our quick and easy two-page PDF summary of everything on this page, key dates, process of determining if your fan is in scope, what each compliance status means, and what to ask your technical contact.
Axair Group Disclaimer: This page provides a general overview and guidance on the Ecodesign Directive Regulation (EU) 2024/1834. It is not to be treated as legal advice. Regulatory requirements may change as the directive evolves, and customers should refer to the applicable legislation or seek professional advice where necessary.
For the full legal requirements, see Regulation (EU) 2024/1834.