Tumble dryers: from 1 January 2027 a repairability class A–E on the energy label (A for an index R > 9.00), eight priority parts with reference numbers of disassembly steps, a 4 % verification tolerance and no more calculation of the “eco” programme final moisture by the formula in the regulation
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1353, published on 20 November 2025, amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2534 on the energy labelling of household tumble dryers. It introduces a repairability index with its calculation and verification method and changes the product information sheet, technical documentation and verification procedure; it entered into force on the fourth day after publication.
- Label and classes: from 1 January 2027 every tumble dryer carries a label according to the new Annex IIIa with a repairability class — A: R > 9.00; B: 7.00 ≤ R ≤ 9.00; C: 5.00 ≤ R < 7.00; D: 3.00 ≤ R < 5.00; E: R < 3.00. Suppliers may use the new label and sheet from 24 November 2025 (Article 3(1a)); dryers placed on the market before 1 January 2027 may be sold without the index without time limit (recital 4). The sheet states the index R and four partial scores: disassembly depth (S_DD), fasteners (S_F), tools (S_T) and repair information (S_RI).
- Method (Annex IV section 5): S_DD, S_F and S_T are calculated for eight priority parts with a mean number of disassembly steps (MDS): water pump 16.1, drum bearing 18.9, drum belt 40.9, door 3, motor 49.4, main printed circuit board 13.7, fan 7.7, motor capacitor 24.9. Disassembly depth: 10 points at DD ≤ 0.70 × MDS, 7 points up to 0.90, 4 up to 1.10, 1 up to 1.30, 0 above. Fasteners: reusable 10 points, resupplied free of charge 7, at extra cost 4, removable 0; tools: basic or no tools 10, supplied with the spare part 5, commercially available 0. The assessment starts from a fully assembled, upright product disconnected from all supply and drain systems.
- Verification (Annex IX): the determined value of the repairability index must not be lower than the declared value by more than 4 % (for comparison: energy consumption and programme duration — 6 %, noise — 2 dB); in case of non-compliance the authority tests one additional unit, not three as for the other parameters, and non-compliance then concerns only the tested model, not equivalent models. The detailed method for calculating the average final moisture content of the “eco” programme was removed from the technical documentation: recital 13 states that aiming at 0 % leads to over-drying, heat damage to textiles and excessive energy consumption — the methods of harmonised standards with their tolerances apply.
- Comparison with the base act (EU) 2023/2534: it defined the “eco” programme as drying cotton from an initial moisture of 60 % to a final moisture of 0 %, listed final moisture among the parameters calculated from three full-load and four partial-load cycles (the new wording drops it from that sentence) and in Article 7(2) required the Commission to present a repairability scoring by 1 January 2025 — the new act repeals that paragraph and adds to the Article 7 review (by 1 January 2030) an assessment of including the heat pump among the priority parts. The reference to the EU Ecolabel was also deleted from Annex III “since the EU Ecolabel is no longer awarded” (recital 8).