Product Database

The European Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) is a transformative initiative designed to improve access to information on energy-related products across the EU market. EPREL provides a centralized database that supports informed decision-making by consumers, retailers, public procurers, and policymakers. This tool aims to facilitate sustainable purchasing and policy development, emphasizing energy efficiency and resource conservation.

EPREL Services project, co-funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), aims at:

• Improved use of EPREL data by:
  • Developing a new modular web application tailored to the needs of consumers, procurers, retailers and policy makers.
  • Exploitating already existing effective web applications concerning the use of the EPREL database.
     
• Ensuring completeness and correctness of data within the EPREL database by:
  • Developing technical software tools for the support of data quality management.
  • Developing information and monitoring processes required for data quality management in collaboration with suppliers.
     
• Raising awareness of EPREL database and related supported and newly developed tools among different stakeholders.
   
• Promoting broad adoption through tailored communication and dissemination strategies.

Partners

The project is being implemented by a consortium of 12 organisations across Europe, each bringing unique expertise in energy efficiency, data analysis, consumer advocacy and policy development.

Main target groups and benefits provided by EPREL Services

The main target groups for the EPREL Services project are:

1. Consumers: individuals looking to make informed decisions regarding energy-efficient products. The EPREL project will provide them:

• an easy access to comprehensive information on key information like energy-efficiency of, environmental and economic parameters of products;
• the possibility to compare products based on energy/resource efficiency, price, technical features, and availability;
• empowerment to make more sustainable and cost-effective purchasing decisions.

2. Retailers: businesses that sell energy-efficient products and can utilize EPREL to improve product information and sales strategies. The EPREL project will provide them:

• tools to enhance customer experience through accurate product information;
• integration of EPREL data into websites or sales platforms to support buyers;
• improved sales strategies using detailed market insights and statistical data from the database.

3. Public Procurers: entities responsible for purchasing goods and services on behalf of public institutions, who can use EPREL to support sustainable procurement decisions. Private procurers who focus on sustainability and resource conservation can also benefit from the services. The EPREL project will provide them:

• access to tailored data for defining sustainable procurement criteria;
• support in selecting energy-efficient products aligned with green public procurement policies;
• tools for statistical analysis to identify trends and evaluate the energy impact of procurement decisions.
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4. Policymakers: government bodies and decision-makers who can leverage the data for developing and enforcing energy efficiency policies and regulations. The EPREL project will provide them:

• Improvement of the reliability of the database for information on the development and evaluation of the energy efficiency of products;
• access to high-quality data to design incentives, subsidies, or regulatory instruments;
• enhanced capacity to monitor market trends and ensure compliance with energy labelling regulations.

5. Suppliers: manufacturers or importers of products, which are under the scope of energy labelling legislation. The EPREL project will provide them:

• A quality check of their EPREL data with overview reports of missing and doubtful data and suggestions for correction, where possible
• Alerts, if products are missing on EPREL to ensure compliance with the energy labelling legislation

6. Market Surveillance authorities (MSA): the project aims to create an effective communication channel with market surveillance authorities to report data quality problems not solved by manufacturers.

Key objectives

The project aims to make the EPREL database a more effective tool for searching and comparing energy-efficient products in the EU market. In other words, the overall objective of the project is to promote the purchase of sustainable, energy-efficient products by providing consumers and other stakeholders with the information they need to make informed decisions.

• General awareness raising: the project aims to raise general awareness of the existence of EPREL, its key functionalities and its great potential among key target groups: consumers, public purchasers, retailers and policy makers. Many people are still unaware of the database or are not used to using EU-wide information sources. The project aims to overcome these barriers by promoting EPREL through targeted information and awareness-raising campaigns.
   
• Provision of effective innovative complementary web application tools developed within the project and connected to EPREL, providing tailored information for key target groups via established efficient information channels typically used and accepted in daily business. Awareness of these new and expanded functions will also be promoted as part of the project through targeted information and awareness-raising campaigns.
   
• Support of high data quality and effective data quality management for EPREL: the project is committed to ensuring high quality and effective management of EPREL data. The project therefore aims to develop tools and processes for data quality management, including automated software routines for data control, user feedback and collaboration processes with suppliers, who are responsible for data entry, and secondly to the market surveillance authorities..
   
• Further adaptation & optimization of EPREL features in line with market development and user needs: feedback will be collected from users to identify areas for improvement and policy recommendations will be drawn up for the future development of EPREL.
   
• Information and awareness-raising campaigns: to promote awareness of EPREL and its complementary tools, which will be developed within the project, the project will carry out information and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at different target groups. Various communication channels will be used, including:
  • Traditional media
  • Social media
  • Events
  • Public procurement platforms

Client:in / Funding organisation:in	European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
Project management	Franz Zach
Project team	Christoph Kurfürst
Project partners:in	Austrian Energy Agency (AEA) - Project coordinator (Austria) BIG2GREAT APS (Denmark) SEVEn - The Energy Efficiency Centre (Czech Republic) ADENE - Agência para a Energia (Portugal) Guide Topten SARL (France) Altroconsumo Edizioni SRL (Italy) CRES - Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (Greece) ADEME - Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie (France) KAPE - Krajowa Agencja Poszanowania Energii Spolka Akcyjna (Poland) OCU Ediciones SA (Spain) Association des Consommateurs Test-Achats SCRL (Belgium) GS1 in Europe (Belgium)
Project duration	September 2024 - February 2028