Selection Criteria Refrigerated Medicine Cabinets

Topten presents the most energy efficient pharmaceutical refrigerators for pharmacies and medical facilities ("refrigerated medicine cabinets") on the European Market. Only plug-in appliances are shown, cabinets connected to a remote system are not considered. All models use climate-friendly refrigerants.

Technical Criteria

All pharmaceutical refrigerators on www.topten.eu fulfill the following criteria:

• plug-in
• climate-friendly natural refrigerant with global warming potential GWP ≤ 3 (e.g. R290/propane, R600a/isobutane, R744/CO2).
• DIN 13277:2021 certified (until Dec.2021 also according to DIN 58345)
• Maximum Efficiency-Index EEI of 35, calculated according to EU regulation 2015/1094

Pharmaceutical refrigerators are not yet covered through any European energy regulation. Their technical details are very similar to professional storage refrigerators. For that reason, their EEI will be calculated according to EU regulation 2015/1094 for professional storage refrigerators on Topten.eu.

Topten accepted test standards

The test standard for the declaration of the energy consumption of drug cabinets on Topten.eu corresponds to the measurement standard used in DIN 13277:2021 (supplanting DIN 58345:2007) certification.

Order of presentation

Products are ranked according to energy efficiency index.

Glossary

Variants

Technically identical models or similar models that also meet the Topten criteria.

Electricity costs

Costs for electricity during product's life time. Assumptions:

• Typical life time: 15 years
• Tariff of electricity: 0.3 €/kWh (there however can be large differences depending on country or electrical utility)

Energy Efficiency Index

Given in percent (%) according to the calculation for the EU energy label for storage refrigerators. The lower the value, the more efficient the appliance.

Efficiency class equivalent

Equivalent to energy efficiency class for storage refrigerators, according to EU energy label for storage refrigerators. The best class is A+++ since July 2019, the worst G.

Energy (kWh/year)

Energy consumption in kWh/year according to the energy consumption measured.

Net Volume

Net volume in litres.

Temperature range

Adjustable indoor temperature range in degrees Celsius (°C).

Refrigerant

• R600a (Isobutane)
• R290 (Propane)
• R744 (CO₂)

Forced-Air

Forced-air or static cooling.

Dimensions

Width x depth x height in mm.

Infoplus

Publications

• The first energy labels for professional cooling appliances - lessons learnt. Steffen Hepp, Maike Hepp. EEDAL 2022, Paper and presentation
• 5x Basics: efficient commercial equipment: commercial coffee makers, refrigerated medicine cabinets, commercial ice machines, undercounter dishwashers, retail ovens, Bush et al., BFE, 2021

Standards and Labels

• DIN 13277:2022-05. Standard for refrigerating appliances for medicinal products - Definitions, requirements, testing
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1094 of the European Commission of 5 May 2015 supplementing Directive 2010/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to energy labelling of commercial refrigerated storage cabinets.
• Regulation (EU) 2015/1095 of the European Commission of 5 May 2015 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for commercial refrigerated storage cabinets, blast chillers/freezers, condensing units and process coolers
• Topten Policy Recommendations for professional refrigerated storage cabinets from May 2021

Links

• Draft Interim Report of October 2021 by the Review Study Team for Professional Refrigeration Energy Regulation
• Website of the Review study Ecodesign & EU energy label of Professional Refrigeration Products
• Energy efficiency measures by the European Commission.
• eceee, the European council for an energy efficient economy, provides a status overview on all products in the Ecodesign & Energy Labelling process.
• Coolproducts informs about the EU ecodesign process. It is a coalition of NGOs' campaign for a stronger, fast Ecodesign Directive to save the climate and money.
• ECOS (Ecostandard) is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws.
• EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) is the European product database. Products with an energy label are registered in EPREL in order to provide consumers with detailed product information.

Manufacturers and dealers are kindly asked to contact info(at)topten.info to inform about more products meeting the Topten selection criteria.

11/2022 Hepp, Bush