From 16 June this year, most electric motors between 0.75 and 375 kW sold in the EU must meet the IE2 efficiency class, with IE3 becoming the benchmark the industry is moving toward. If you buy pumps, this change matters more than it looks.
What the classes measure
IE is the international efficiency grading for motors: IE1 is standard, IE2 high efficiency, IE3 premium efficiency. The jump from IE1 to IE2 typically saves 2 to 4 percent of input power. On a motor running a few hundred hours a year that is a rounding error. On a pump running continuously, it is a bill you notice every single month.
What it changes for buyers
- New pumps will arrive with slightly heavier, better-built motors; cheap IE1 stock will disappear from European shelves.
- Running-cost comparisons get more honest: an IE3 pump costing more on the invoice can be the cheaper machine within a year of continuous duty.
- Older installed pumps suddenly have a visible efficiency gap worth auditing, especially the ones that run all day.
We welcome the change. Efficient motors cost more in copper and engineering, and the regulation finally makes that visible at purchase time rather than invisible on the electricity bill.