The Christmas holidays are officially over. It’s time to pull down the tinsel, stop drinking in the day, scoff as much residual chocolate as you can find, and muster the strength to face an eco-conscious and green January. In fact, this January promises to be one of the greenest as Lot 20 comes into effect this week. For those of you who have been out of the loop, Lot 20 is part of a new initiative that governs greater eco-efficiency across all electrical appliances in the UK, with new legislation ensuring each product meets the new standard. After such a monumentally challenging year, it’s time to start as we mean to go on – let’s push 2017 out of our minds and focus on the new, exciting, and environmentally friendly promise of a green 2018!
What even is Lot 20?
Well, we’ve mentioned it a fair few times over the last year and you can read a thorough breakdown of precisely what Lot 20 is here. In essence, Lot 20 is part of the EcoDesign Directive, a series of new laws that raises the eco-efficiency and eco-credability of every electrical appliance sold in the UK –whether that’s a toaster or an infrared panel. While these new laws won’t impact on you, they give companies and manufacturers quite a lot to think about with different categories, targets, and procedures in place for different products. For the hardened researcher, you can take a look over the full EU document here – which details exactly what needs to be changed for each type of product.
For those of you that don’t fancy reading the full document (who can blame you) Lot 20 basically requires electric heaters to become more efficient. This can be done by adding new energy-saving features or by including a customisable weekly heating schedule. This doesn’t mean that companies are being forced to bin perfectly good heaters that don’t have these new features. The Lot 20 initiative is about avoiding waste, not creating more of it. So, any existing heaters that don’t quite cut the mustard won’t go to waste and companies can continue to sell old stock until it’s gone or until a cut-off point is established. For the future, Lot 20 means that manufacturers can’t make new products to sell in the EU without meeting the new eco-design requirements.
In terms of electric heating, Lot 20 calls for improvement in several areas. Old school electric heaters, like storage heaters, are resolutely inefficient and are being stringently targeted by Lot 20. Only the more advanced storage heaters, with the level of control found on fully-fledged electric radiators, will make the grade. Infrared heaters have a head start on other types of space heater because they are among the most energy-efficient electric heaters available. This doesn’t mean they’re immune to Lot 20 but rather that the heaters themselves are unlikely to change. Instead, infrared controllers, which are usually sold separately to maximise longevity, might get an upgrade or two.
What does this mean for my infrared heater?
If you already own your infrared heater – it means nothing. Nobody is going to take it away from you and you aren’t doing anything wrong by having it. Lot 20 isn’t about rounding up all of your old tech for the bin, it’s about improving products for the future and raising standards in the process.
If you’re intending on buying an infrared heater, Lot 20 will have some effect. Lot 20 isn’t designed to inconvenience you, it’s designed to ensure manufacturers are using the most eco-efficient, sensible, and sustainable products they can. It also stops manufacturers selling inefficient heaters just to make a price point. After Lot 20, the bar for bottom-of-the-range heaters will be raised – which means that no matter what your budget you can still have an efficient and effective electric heater.
Over the next few months, don’t be surprised if you notice a few products with additional features, better thermostats, and better control options. Chances are these new features have been specifically included to meet Lot 20 standards, which works out well for everyone! The manufacturers meet the energy-efficiency quota, you get an efficient product, and we all benefit from eco-friendly heating.
Products like infrared panels, for example, are inherently efficient, versatile, and subtle. They can be positioned almost anywhere and provide a soothing heat that feels as natural as sunshine. Infrared panels are designed to be used in conjunction with controllers – these controllers allow you to adjust the temperature of the panel, set a weekly heating schedule, and even link several panels together for heater zoning. Infrared panels don’t come with integrated controls and the thermostats need to be purchased separately, something we recommend you do from the get-go. Without a controller, infrared panels aren’t Lot 20 compliant and fail to meet the new standards. Because of this, it seems likely that infrared panels will be sold in conjunction with some form of controller. Respected infrared panel manufacturer Herschel, one of our main suppliers of infrared panels, have a very useful section on their website which explains how their infrared panels are being made Lot 20 compliant.
As Lot 20 only came into effect on Monday, there are most likely a few of these kinds of teething problems expected to crop up over the next few weeks. But, it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure their stock is kosher, not yours. You don’t have to do a thing but reap the rewards of upgraded, eco-efficient, electric heating products.
What about my outdoor patio heater?
If your patio heater is used outside and only outside, it is exempt from Lot 20 legislation. According to the Lot 20 website, radiant heaters for indoor use must come with room temperature control, a weekly timer, and an additional energy saving feature like open-window detection. For outdoor installation, these features are rendered ineffective as accurate temperature control and programming are hindered by inconstant and fluctuating weather. For this reason, Lot 20 pardons infrared heaters for outdoor use. Whatever you’re using outside, carry on as you were before!
We know all of this information is slightly on the heavy side – but we thought it fitting that the UK is taking its first steps towards a more responsible and green future on the first day of the New Year. In terms of New Years resolutions, Lot 20 has made one on all of our behalves to secure an eco-friendlier 2018. If you still feel unsure about what Lot 20 is, what it means, or what products are compliant, the Lot 20 website is full of useful tools that can help clarify the new rules. For help purchasing a new, Lot 20 compliant electric heater, visit our website.