February 14th, 2020 by Chris Chapman

The UK has officially left the EU and entered into the transition phase of Brexit. This means there is still much we don’t know about Britain’s future relationship with the EU and the laws it’ll adopt. As EcoDesign Lot 20 is a European directive, you may be wondering how it’ll be affected by Brexit. Luckily, the answer is short and simple.

Will Lot 20 Be Affected by Brexit?

The short answer is that it’s very unlikely. While Lot 20 is a European law, it’s already been copied into UK law and has been in force for several years now. It’s possible that the government could undo this as they debate which EU standards they want to keep, but there are several factors in play that make this highly unlikely.

It’s the Standard

Lot 20 has been in force for a few years, meaning every heater manufactured since 2018 is already Lot 20 compliant. Companies have invested in new production methods to ensure their heaters are up to this standard, and will still have to keep those standards up to sell across the EU. They aren’t going to change back to target the relatively small UK market with lower-quality heaters.

The Government is Committed to Improve Carbon Emissions

The UK has committed to cutting our net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. This means products like electric heaters will only get more efficient as time goes on, not less. As laws like Lot 20 are already in place, getting rid of them would be counterproductive.

It Won’t Change Until the Transition Period Ends

While the UK has left the EU, there will be a transition period which will run until 1st January 2021. Until this time, all current EU regulations will still apply to the UK anyway.