COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 547/2012  
of 25 June 2012  
implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to 
ecodesign requirements for water pumps  
(Text with EEA relevance)  
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,  
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union,  
Having regard to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing 
a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for 
energy-related products (  1 ), and in particular Article 15(1) 
thereof,  
After consulting the Ecodesign Consultation Forum,  
Whereas:  
(1) Under Directive 2009/125/EC, ecodesign requirements 
are to be set by the Commission for energy-related 
products representing significant volumes of sales and 
trade, having a significant environmental impact and 
presenting significant potential for improvement in 
terms of their environmental impact without entailing 
excessive costs.  
(2) Article 16(2) of Directive 2009/125/EC provides that, in 
accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 19(3) 
and the criteria set out in Article 15(2), and after 
consulting the Consultation Forum, the Commission 
shall, as appropriate, introduce implementing measures 
for products used in electric motor systems, such as 
water pumps.  
(3) Water pumps forming parts of electric motor systems are 
essential in various pumping processes. There is a total 
cost-effective potential for improving the energy effi ­
ciency of these pumping systems by approximately 
20 % to 30 %. Even though the main savings can be 
achieved by motors, one of the factors contributing to 
such improvements is the use of energy-efficient pumps. 
Consequently, water pumps are a priority product for 
which ecodesign requirements should be established.  
(4) Electric motor systems include a number of energy- 
related products, such as motors, drives, pumps or 
fans. Water pumps are one of these products. 
Minimum requirements are established for motors in a 
separate measure, Commission Regulation (EC) No 
640/2009 (  2 ). Consequently, the present Regulation 
only sets minimum requirements for the hydraulic 
performance of water pumps without the motor.  (5) Many pumps are integrated in other products without 
being separately placed on the market. To achieve the 
full cost-effective energy-saving potential, water pumps 
integrated in other products should also be subject to 
the provisions of this Regulation.  
(6) The Commission has carried out a preparatory study to 
analyse the technical, environmental and economic 
aspects of water pumps. The study has been developed 
together with stakeholders and interested parties from 
the Union and third countries, and the results have 
been made publicly available.  
(7) The preparatory study shows that water pumps are 
placed on the European Union market in large quantities. 
Their energy consumption in the use phase is the most 
significant environmental aspect of all life-cycle phases, 
with their annual electricity consumption amounting to 
109 TWh in 2005, corresponding to 50 Mt in CO  2 
emissions. In the absence of measures to limit this 
consumption, it is predicted that energy consumption 
will increase to 136 TWh in 2020. It has been 
concluded that use-phase electricity consumption can 
be improved significantly.  
(8) The preparatory study shows that electricity consumption 
in the use phase is the only significant ecodesign 
parameter related to product design as referred to in 
Annex I, Part 1, to Directive 2009/125/EC.  
(9) Improvements in electricity consumption in the use 
phase of water pumps should be achieved by applying 
existing non-proprietary cost-effective technologies that 
can reduce the total combined costs of purchase and 
operation.  
(10) Ecodesign requirements should harmonise power 
consumption requirements for water pumps throughout 
the European Union, thus contributing to the functioning 
of the internal market and to the improvement of the 
environmental performance of these products.  
(11) An appropriate timeframe should be provided for manu ­
facturers to redesign products. The timeframe should be 
such as to avoid negative impacts on the functionalities 
of water pumps and to take into account cost impacts 
for manufacturers, in particular small and medium-sized 
enterprises, while ensuring timely achievement of the 
objectives of this Regulation.  
(12) Power consumption should be determined using reliable, 
accurate and reproducible measurement methods, whichEN L 165/28 Official Journal of the European Union 26.6.2012  
( 1 ) OJ L 285, 31.10.2009, p. 10.  
( 2 ) OJ L 191, 23.7.2009, p. 26.take into account the recognised state-of-the-art 
including, where available, harmonised standards 
adopted by the European standardisation bodies, as 
listed in Annex I to Directive 98/34/EC of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 
1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of 
information in the field of technical standards and regu ­
lations and of rules on Information Society services (  1 ). 
(13) This Regulation should increase the market penetration 
of technologies that improve the life-cycle environmental 
impact of water pumps, leading to estimated energy 
savings of 3,3 TWh by 2020, compared to the 
situation where no measures are taken.  
(14) In accordance with Article 8(2) of Directive 
2009/125/EC, this Regulation should specify the 
applicable conformity assessment procedures.  
(15) In order to facilitate compliance checks, manufacturers 
should provide information in the technical documen ­
tation referred to in Annexes IV and V to Directive 
2009/125/EC.  
(16) In order to further limit the environmental impact of 
water pumps, manufacturers should provide relevant 
information on disassembly, recycling or disposal at 
end-of-life.  
(17) Benchmarks for currently available technologies with 
high energy efficiency should be identified. This will 
help to ensure the wide availability and easy accessibility 
of information, in particular for small and medium-sized 
enterprises, which will further facilitate the integration of 
the best available technologies for reducing energy 
consumption.  
(18) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in 
accordance with the opinion of the Committee estab ­
lished by Article 19(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC,  
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
Article 1  
Subject matter and scope  
1. This Regulation establishes ecodesign requirements for the 
placing on the market of rotodynamic water pumps for 
pumping clean water, including where integrated in other 
products.  
2. This Regulation shall not apply to:  
(a) water pumps designed specifically for pumping clean water 
at temperatures below – 10 °C or above 120 °C, except with 
regard to the information requirements of Annex II, points 
2(11) to 2(13);  
(b) water pumps designed only for fire-fighting applications;  
(c) displacement water pumps;  
(d) self-priming water pumps.  Article 2  
Definitions  
In addition to the definitions set out in Directive 2009/125/EC, 
the following definitions apply:  
(1) ‘ water pump ’ is the hydraulic part of a device that moves 
clean water by physical or mechanical action and is of one 
of the following designs:  
— End suction own bearing (ESOB),  
— End suction close coupled (ESCC),  
— End suction close coupled inline (ESCCi),  
— Vertical multistage (MS-V),  
— Submersible multistage (MSS);  
(2) ‘ End suction water pump ’ means a glanded single stage end 
suction rotodynamic water pump designed for pressures 
up to 16 bar, with a specific speed n  s between 6 and 80 
rpm, a minimum rated flow of 6 m  3 /h (1,667 ·10 –3 m 3 /s), 
a maximum shaft power of 150 kW, a maximum head of 
90 m at nominal speed of 1 450 rpm and a maximum 
head of 140 m at nominal speed of 2 900 rpm;  
(3) ‘ Rated flow ’ means the head and flow that the manufacturer 
will guarantee under normal operating conditions;  
(4) ‘ Glanded ’ means sealed shaft connection between the 
impeller in the pump body and the motor. The driving 
motor component remains dry;  
(5) ‘ End suction own bearing water pump ’ (ESOB) is an end 
suction water pump with own bearings;  
(6) ‘ End suction close coupled water pump ’ (ESCC) is an end 
suction water pump of which the motor shaft is 
extended to become also the pump shaft;  
(7) ‘ End suction close coupled inline water pump ’ (ESCCi) means a 
water pump of which the water inlet of the pump is on 
the same axis as the water outlet of the pump;  
(8) ‘ Vertical multistage water pump ’ (MS-V) means a glanded 
multi stage (i > 1) rotodynamic water pump in which 
the impellers are assembled on a vertical rotating shaft, 
which is designed for pressures up to 25 bar, with a 
nominal speed of 2 900 rpm and a maximum flow of 
100 m  3 /h (27,78 ·10 –3 m 3 /s); 
(9) ‘ Submersible multistage water pump ’ (MSS) means a multi 
stage (i > 1) rotodynamic water pump with a nominal 
outer diameter of 4 ″ (10,16 cm) or 6 ″ (15,24 cm) 
designed to be operated in a borehole at nominal speed 
of 2 900 rpm, at operating temperatures within a range of 
0 °C and 90 °C;EN 26.6.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 165/29  
( 1 ) OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37.(10) ‘ rotodynamic water pump ’ means a water pump that moves 
clean water by means of hydrodynamic forces;  
(11) ‘ displacement water pump ’ means a water pump that moves 
clean water by enclosing a volume of clean water and 
forcing this volume to the outlet of the pump;  
(12) ‘ self-priming water pump ’ means a water pump that moves 
clean water and which can start and/or operate also when 
only partly filled with water;  
(13) ‘ clean water ’ means water with a maximum non-absorbent 
free solid content of 0,25 kg/m  3 , and with a maximum 
dissolved solid content of 50 kg/m  3 , provided that the 
total gas content of the water does not exceed the 
saturation volume. Any additives that are needed to 
avoid water freezing down to – 10 °C shall not be taken 
into account.  
The definitions for the purpose of Annexes II to V are set out in 
Annex I.  
Article 3  
Ecodesign requirements  
The minimum efficiency requirements as well as information 
requirements for rotodynamic water pumps are set out in 
Annex II.  
Ecodesign requirements shall apply in accordance with the 
following timetable:  
(1) from 1 January 2013, water pumps shall have a minimum 
efficiency as defined in Annex II, point 1(a);  
(2) from 1 January 2015, water pumps shall have a minimum 
efficiency as defined in Annex II, point 1(b);  
(3) from 1 January 2013, the information on water pumps 
shall comply with the requirements set out in Annex II, 
point 2.  
Compliance with ecodesign requirements shall be measured and 
calculated in accordance with requirements set out in Annex III.  
No ecodesign requirement is necessary regarding any other 
ecodesign parameter referred to in Annex I, Part 1, of 
Directive 2009/125/EC.  Article 4  
Conformity assessment  
The conformity assessment procedure referred to in Article 8(2) 
of Directive 2009/125/EC shall be the internal design control 
set out in Annex IV to that Directive or the management system 
for assessing conformity set out in Annex V to that Directive.  
Article 5  
Verification procedure for market surveillance purposes  
When performing the market surveillance checks referred to in 
Article 3(2) of Directive 2009/125/EC, for the ecodesign 
requirements set out in Annex II to this Regulation, the auth ­
orities of the Member States shall apply the verification 
procedure set out in Annex IV to this Regulation.  
Article 6  
Indicative benchmarks  
The indicative benchmarks for the best-performing water 
pumps available on the market at the time of entry into force 
of this Regulation are set out in Annex V.  
Article 7  
Revision  
The Commission shall review this Regulation in the light of 
technological progress and shall present the result of this 
review to the Consultation Forum no later than four years 
after its entry into force. The review shall aim at adopting an 
extended product approach.  
The Commission shall review the tolerances used in the 
methodology for calculating the energy efficiency before 
1 January 2014.  
Article 8  
Entry into force  
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day 
following that of its publication in the  Official Journal of the 
European Union . 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.  
Done at Brussels, 25 June 2012.  
For the Commission  
The President  
José Manuel BARROSOEN L 165/30 Official Journal of the European Union 26.6.2012ANNEX I  
Definitions applicable for the purposes of Annexes II to V  
For the purpose of Annexes II to V, the following definitions apply:  
(1) ‘ Impeller ’ means the rotating component of a rotodynamic pump which transfers energy to the water;  
(2) ‘ Full impeller ’ means the impeller with the maximum diameter for which performance characteristics are given for a 
pump size in the catalogues of a water pump manufacturer;  
(3) ‘ Specific speed ’ (n  s ) means a dimensional value characterising the shape of the water pump impeller by head, flow and 
speed (n):  
n s ¼ n · ﬃﬃﬃﬃﬃﬃﬃﬃﬃ  Q BEP p 
ð 1= i H BEP Þ 3 
4 [min  –1 ] 
Where  
— ‘ Head ’ (H) means the increase in the hydraulic energy of water in meters [m], produced by the water pump at the 
specified point of operation,  
— ‘ Rotational speed ’ (n) means the number of revolutions per minute [rpm] of the shaft,  
— ‘ Flow ’ (Q) means the volume flow rate [m  3 /s] of water through the water pump,  
— ‘S tage’ (i) means the number of series impellers in the water pump,  
— ‘ Best efficiency point ’ (BEP) means the operating point of the water pump at which it is at the maximum hydraulic 
pump efficiency measured with clean cold water,  
(4) ‘ Hydraulic pump efficiency ’ ( η) is the ratio between the mechanical power transferred to the liquid during its passage 
through the water pump and the mechanical input power transmitted to the pump at its shaft;  
(5) ‘ Clean cold water ’ means clean water to be used for pump testing, with a maximum kinematic viscosity of 1,5 × 10  –6 
m 2 /s, a maximum density of 1 050 kg/m  3 and a maximum temperature of 40 °C;  
(6) ‘ Part load ’ (PL) means the operating point of the water pump at 75 % of the flow at BEP;  
(7) ‘ Over load ’ (OL) means the operating point of the water pump at 110 % of the flow at BEP;  
(8) ‘ Minimum Efficiency Index ’ (MEI) means the dimensionless scale unit for hydraulic pump efficiency at BEP, PL and OL;  
(9) ‘ C’ means a constant for each specific water pump type quantifying the differences in efficiency for different pump 
types.EN 26.6.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 165/31ANNEX II  
Ecodesign requirements for water pumps  
1. EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS  
(a) From 1 January 2013, water pumps shall have a minimum efficiency:  
— at the best efficiency point (BEP) of at least ( η ΒΕΡ ) min requ  , when measured according to Annex III, and 
calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,1, according to Annex III,  
— a minimum efficiency at part load (PL) of at least ( η ΡL ) min requ  when measured according to Annex III, and 
calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,1, according to Annex III,  
— a minimum efficiency at over load (OL) of at least ( η ΟL ) min requ  when measured according to Annex III and 
calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,1, according to Annex III.  
(b) From 1 January 2015, water pumps shall have:  
— a minimum efficiency at the best efficiency point (BEP) of at least ( η ΒΕΡ ) min requ  when measured according to 
Annex III and calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,4, according to Annex III,  
— a minimum efficiency at part load (PL) of at least ( η ΡL ) min requ  when measured according to Annex III and 
calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,4, according to Annex III,  
— a minimum efficiency at over load (OL) of at least ( η ΟL ) min requ  when measured according to Annex III and 
calculated with the C-value for MEI = 0,4, according to Annex III.  
2. PRODUCT INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS  
From 1 January 2013, the information on water pumps referred to in Article 1 set out in following points (1) to (15) 
shall be visibly displayed on:  
(a) the technical documentation of water pumps;  
(b) free access websites of manufacturers of water pumps.  
The information shall be provided in the order as presented in points (1) to (15). The information referred to in 
points (1) and (3) to (6) shall be durably marked on or near the rating plate of the water pump.  
(1) Minimum efficiency index:  MEI ≥ [x,xx ]; 
(2) Standard text: ‘The benchmark for most efficient water pumps is MEI ≥ 0,70’, or, alternatively, the indication 
‘Benchmark MEI ≥ 0,70’;  
(3) Year of manufacture;  
(4) Manufacturer’s name or trade mark, commercial registration number and place of manufacture;  
(5) Product’s type and size identificator;  
(6) Hydraulic pump efficiency (%) with trimmed impeller [ xx,x ], or, alternatively, the indication [–.-];  
(7) Pump performance curves for the pump, including efficiency characteristics;  
(8) Standard text: ‘The efficiency of a pump with a trimmed impeller is usually lower than that of a pump with the 
full impeller diameter. The trimming of the impeller will adapt the pump to a fixed duty point, leading to 
reduced energy consumption. The minimum efficiency index (MEI) is based on the full impeller diameter.’;  
(9) Standard text: ‘The operation of this water pump with variable duty points may be more efficient and economic 
when controlled, for example, by the use of a variable speed drive that matches the pump duty to the system’;  
(10) Information relevant for disassembly, recycling or disposal at end-of-life;  
(11) Standard text for water pumps designed only for pumping clean water at temperatures below – 10 °C: ‘ Designed 
for use below – 10 °C only ’;EN L 165/32 Official Journal of the European Union 26.6.2012(12) Standard text for water pumps designed only for pumping clean water at temperatures above 120 °C: ‘ Designed 
for use above 120 °C only ’; 
(13) For pumps designed specifically for pumping clean water at temperatures below – 10 °C or above 120 °C, 
manufacturer must describe the relevant technical parameters and characteristics used;  
(14) Standard text: ‘information on benchmark efficiency is available at [ www.xxxxxxxxx.xxx ]’; 
(15) Benchmark efficiency graph for MEI = 0,7 for the pump based on the model shown in the Figure. Similar 
efficiency graph shall be provided for MEI = 0,4.  
Figure  
Example of a benchmark efficiency graph for ESOB 2900
  
Further information may be added and may be complemented by graphs, figures or symbols.EN 26.6.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 165/33ANNEX III  
Measurements and calculations  
For the purposes of compliance and verification of compliance with the requirements of this Regulation, measurements 
and calculations shall be made using harmonised standards the reference numbers of which have been published in the  
Official Journal of European Union , or using other reliable, accurate and reproducible methods, which take into account the 
generally recognised state of the art, and produce results deemed to be of low uncertainty. They shall fulfil all of the 
following technical parameters.  
The hydraulic pump efficiency, as defined in Annex I, is measured at the head and flow corresponding to the best 
efficiency point (BEP), part load (PL) and over load (OL) for full impeller diameter with clean cold water.  
The formula for calculating the required minimum efficiency at best efficiency point (BEP) is as follows:  
(η ΒΕΡ ) min requ  = 88,59 x + 13,46 y – 11,48 x  2 – 0,85 y  2 – 0,38 x y – C  Pump Type,rpm  
Where,  
x = ln (n  s ); y = ln (Q) and ln = natural logarithm and Q = flow in [m  3 /h]; n  s = specific speed in [min  –1 ]; C = value 
found in Table.  
The value of C depends on the pump type and nominal speed, and also the MEI value.  
Table  
Minimum efficiency index (MEI) and its corresponding C-value depending on the pump type and speed  
C-value for MEI 
C PumpType,rpm  MEI = 0,10  MEI = 0,40  
C (ESOB, 1 450)  132,58  128,07  
C (ESOB, 2 900)  135,60  130,27  
C (ESCC, 1 450)  132,74  128,46  
C (ESCC, 2 900)  135,93  130,77  
C (ESCCi, 1 450)  136,67  132,30  
C (ESCCi, 2 900)  139,45  133,69  
C (MS-V, 2 900)  138,19  133,95  
C (MSS, 2 900)  134,31  128,79  
The requirements for part load (PL) and over load (OL) conditions are set at slightly lower values than those for 100 % 
flow ( η ΒΕΡ ). 
(η PL ) min, requ  = 0,947  · (η BEP ) min, requ  
(η OL ) min, requ  = 0,985  · (η BEP ) min, requ  
All efficiencies are based on full (untrimmed) impeller. Vertical multistage water pumps are to be tested with a 3 stage 
(i = 3) version. Submersible multistage water pumps are to be tested with a 9 stage (i = 9) version. If this number of 
stages is not offered within the specific product range the next higher number of stages within the product range is to be 
chosen for testing.EN L 165/34 Official Journal of the European Union 26.6.2012ANNEX IV  
Verification procedure for market surveillance purposes  
When performing the market surveillance checks referred to in Article 3(2) of Directive 2009/125/EC, the authorities of 
the Member States shall apply the following verification procedure for the requirements set out in Annex II.  
1. The authorities of the Member State shall test one single unit per model and provide the information about testing 
results to the authorities of the other Member States.  
2. The model shall be considered to comply with the provisions set out in this Regulation, if the hydraulic pump 
efficiency measured at each of the conditions BEP, PL and OL ( η ΒΕΡ , η ΡL , η ΟL ) does not vary below the values set out in 
Annex II by more than 5 %.  
3. If the result referred to in point 2 is not achieved, the market surveillance authority shall randomly test three 
additional units and provide the information about testing results to the authorities of the other Member States 
and to the European Commission.  
4. The model shall be considered to comply with the provisions set out in this Regulation, if the pump passes the 
following three separate tests, if the:  
— arithmetic mean of the BEP ( η ΒΕΡ ) of the three units does not vary below the values set out in Annex II by more 
than 5 %, and  
— arithmetic mean of the PL ( η ΡL ) of the three units does not vary below the values set out in Annex II by more than 
5 %, and  
— arithmetic mean of the OL ( η ΟL ) of the three units does not vary below the values set out in Annex II by more 
than 5 %.  
5. If the results referred to in point 4 are not achieved, the model shall be considered not to comply with this Regulation.  
For the purposes of compliance and verification of compliance with the requirements of this Regulation, Member States 
shall apply the procedures referred to in Annex III of this regulation and harmonised standards the reference numbers of 
which have been published in the  Official Journal of European Union , or other reliable, accurate and reproducible method, 
which takes into account the generally recognised state of the art, and produce results deemed to be of low uncertainty.EN 26.6.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 165/35ANNEX V  
Indicative benchmarks referred to in Article 6  
At the time of entry into force of this Regulation, the indicative benchmark for the best available technology on the 
market for water pumps is a minimum efficiency index (MEI) ≥ 0,70.EN L 165/36 Official Journal of the European Union 26.6.2012