What is EPREL, the EU energy label database?

EPREL, short for European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, is the EU database behind the energy label, the A to G scale you see on fridges, washing machines, TVs, light sources and, since 20 June 2025, smartphones and tablets. Every product model that needs an energy label must be registered in EPREL before it is sold in the EU.

The legal basis is the Energy Labelling Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2017/1369. Article 12 tells the Commission to run the database. Article 4 tells suppliers what to put in it. The product-specific rules, such as which values go on the label of a dishwasher, are set in delegated regulations for each product group.

Who must register and when

The duty sits with the supplier: a manufacturer established in the EU, the authorised representative of a manufacturer outside the EU, or an importer that places the product on the EU market.

• Before placing on the market. Since 1 January 2019 the supplier must enter the model's data before the first unit of a new model is placed on the EU market (Article 4(1)).
• New model, new entry. Any change relevant to the label or product information sheet makes it a new model (Article 4(4)). The supplier also records when it stops placing units of a model on the market.
• Verified suppliers only. Since 22 October 2024 the Commission has required suppliers to pass a verification of identity and establishment before they can register or edit models.
• Keep the data. Compliance information stays in the database for 15 years after the last unit is placed on the market, and the public part is not deleted (Article 4(6)).

Suppliers communicate the EPREL registration number to dealers so they can show the right label.

Public part and compliance part

EPREL has two parts and a portal (Article 12):

• The public part holds what consumers and dealers need: the energy label, the product information sheet and the declared values. It is published at eprel.ec.europa.eu, and the Commission offers an API so online retailers can show labels and data.
• The compliance part is open only to market surveillance authorities and the Commission. It holds parts of the technical documentation: a general description of the model, the standards applied, measured parameters, calculations and testing conditions.

The QR code on the energy label

Recital 30 of the regulation called for a dynamic QR code on the printed label to give easy access to the public part of the database. Today suppliers generate this QR code when they register a model, and scanning it opens the model's page in EPREL. The Commission's guidance says dealers and distributors must keep the QR code readable when a product or tyre is on display. When selling online, the label or the energy class arrow linked to the label must be shown near the price.

Which products are covered

The Commission's product list includes:

• Kitchen and cleaning: domestic ovens, range hoods, dishwashers, washing machines, washer-dryers, tumble dryers
• Cooling: fridges and freezers, commercial refrigerators, professional refrigerated storage cabinets
• Heating, cooling and ventilation: air conditioners and comfort fans, local space heaters, space heaters, water heaters, solid fuel boilers, ventilation units
• Electronics and lighting: electronic displays, smartphones and tablets, light sources
• Tyres

EPREL and the Digital Product Passport

EPREL and the Digital Product Passport are separate systems that run side by side. EPREL works at model level and covers energy labelling only. The ESPR sets up a DPP registry under Article 13 that stores the unique identifiers of products with a passport, while the passport data itself is hosted by the economic operator or a service provider.

ESPR refers to EPREL in a few places. Recital 47 confirms the energy labelling regulation applies in parallel to energy-related products. Recital 74 names inclusion in the EPREL compliance part as one way to make technical documentation digitally available to authorities. Article 37(5) asks for the EPREL model registration number when in-use data has to be reported. For smartphones and tablets, the energy label already shows a repairability class.

How to prepare

1. Check the delegated regulation for each product group you sell, and which values go on the label and product information sheet.
2. Complete supplier verification in EPREL, or appoint an authorised representative if you are outside the EU.
3. Register every model before launch and give dealers the registration number and label files.
4. Treat label-relevant changes as new models and register them again.
5. Keep one source of truth for measured values, so EPREL, your labels and any future passport data match.