New fan regulation (EU) 2024/1834 ("ErP2026"): stricter efficiency requirements from 2026
The new fan regulation (EU) 2024/1834 ("ErP2026") tightens the minimum efficiency requirements for fans in the 125 W to 500 kW power range from July 2026 and 2027 respectively. In practice, it affects almost all HVAC fans in air handling units, chillers, dry coolers and heat pumps.
For manufacturers and integrators, this means stricter efficiency requirements, extended verification obligations at unit level and an even more precise understanding of the overall system of fan, motor and control. There is, however, no retrofit obligation for existing installations.
Legal framework and dates of application
- The requirements for fans were revised in 2024 and recast in Regulation (EU) 2024/1834, often referred to in practice as "ErP2026".
- The tightened limits apply from 24 July 2026. For fans integrated ("embedded") in other products, a transition period runs until 24 July 2027.
- The regulation was still adopted on the basis of the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC. Since 18 July 2024, the new horizontal Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 ("ESPR") has been in force; it gradually replaces the directive and lays the foundation for further sustainability requirements such as reparability and recyclability. Existing implementing regulations such as the fan regulation remain in force.
- Amending Regulation (EU) 2025/2481 of December 2025 clarified, among other things, definitions, test tolerances and the transitional provisions for integrated and replacement fans.
And what does this mean for noise?
More efficient fans often run at different speeds, impeller diameters and operating points – which also changes the noise spectrum and the pressure available for an acoustic enclosure. We have summarised the effects on noise in a PDF attached to the LinkedIn post.
Originally published in German on silent-mode.com