New Refrigerant Regulations: If ever there was year that was crying out for Vendex, 2021 is it; but with uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of such important events, vending machine manufacturers – with an awful lot of important news to share with their customers – are looking for alternative ways to get their messages out.
This year, the industry has a Big Story to tell and it’s all about New Refrigerant Regulations, which come into force on 1 March.
As PV reported, the EVA withdrew its Energy Measurement Protocol (EMP) for refrigerated machines in July 2019, to help prepare the industry for the changes the new regulations bring. The EMP was developed by technical experts at the EVA and it enabled manufacturers to test and compare similar machines. EMP has been credited with helping manufacturers introduce a raft of energy saving measures for more than a decade; but on 1 March, the New Refrigerant Regulations, together with changes to Energy Label Regulations – EN 50597 – will supersede this self-regulatory approach, with the introduction of the most common refrigerated vending machines to stringent new energy consumption targets and obligations.
2021 will see a complete refresh of the snack vending line
Evoca Group has prepared for the New Refrigerant Regulations. Consequently, 2021 will see a complete refresh of the snack vending line, with the introduction of new machines to comply with the demands of the new regimen, as well as updated and revamps to the range to bring it line with the demands of today’s market.
‘We’ve referred in our pricelist to the updates that are coming’, Sales Support Advisor Louise Wardle told PV, ‘and following the article in PV, I want to reassure our customers that we’re ready for the changes. Everything is under control! We’ll see a steady stream of new products come to the UK market this year, beginning in the Spring.
‘Popular models such as Necta’s Jazz, Tango and Melodia will be replaced and Orchestra, which we introduced to widespread acclaim last year, will be up-graded with a new refrigerant’, Louise said.
the most visible change will be in the way that machines are rated
New Refrigerant Regulations
Perhaps the most visible change will be in the way that machines are rated. The new official energy label will adopt an A-G rating scheme. The system will not permit any refrigerated vending machine to be better than a Class C at its introduction and has been designed so that most machines ‘cannot be a Class A until at least 10 years from now’.
‘This doesn’t mean the machines are any less efficient than the models available today, but it gives scope for future efficiency improvements to be more visible to buyers’, Louise said. ‘But thanks to the New Refrigerant Regulations, the days when it seemed that every machine was rated A+ or A++ are over!’
