EPREL energy labels in WooCommerce: what the EU requires and how to avoid fines

EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) is the EU’s central database of energy labels. Since 2021, ecommerce stores that sell household appliances, lighting, TVs or any other product with an energy label must display the label and the product information sheet on the product page, before the purchase, not after.

The requirement comes from EU Regulation 2017/1369 and Implementing Regulation 2019/2014. In Slovenia, non-compliance can be fined.

Who it applies to

Every online retailer that sells any of the following in the EU:

• Large household appliances (refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers)
• Ovens, cooktops, range hoods
• Air conditioners, water heaters, local space heaters
• TVs and monitors above a certain size
• Lighting (LED bulbs, lamps, including decorative lighting)
• Professional refrigeration equipment
• External rechargeable battery packs (from 2025)

It doesn’t matter where your store is registered. If you ship to an EU country, you have to comply.

What exactly must be displayed

1. The energy label (image)

It has to be visible on the product page, right next to the price or the “Add to cart” button. It must be:

• The correct version (the 2021+ formats with the A–G scale, NOT the old A+++ scale)
• A legible size (at least 96 px on the shorter side, or 6× larger than the price)
• In its original form: the colors and the energy class arrow must be clearly visible

2. The product information sheet (data sheet)

A PDF with the product’s technical data, accessible in one click (a link, with no login required). It must contain the values shown on the label, plus additional data on consumption, noise and capacity.

3. The EPREL ID

Every product has a unique EPREL identifier (e.g. 1234567). You don’t have to display it, but you need it to get the official label from the database. You can find it at eprel.ec.europa.eu or get it from your supplier.

The most common mistakes

The old label format (A+++ scale)

The A+++/A++/A+ scale was withdrawn in March 2021 for most categories (large appliances, lighting, TVs). If your pages still show these labels, that’s a violation by default. The new scale runs only from A to G and is stricter: an appliance that was A+++ before 2021 is often a B or C today.

“The label is in the manual”

It must be visible on the product page, not in a PDF attachment or “one click away in the details”. Inspectors go straight to the product page.

Recreating the label in Photoshop

The label must be the official one from the EPREL database. Custom versions (with the retailer’s logo added, or with adjusted colors) are not allowed.

The label is missing on discounted or sale items

Many stores show the label on regular-price products but drop it for sales and seasonal promotions. That’s still a violation.

A missing information sheet

A label image without a link to the product information sheet (PDF) is not compliant. You need both.

How to handle this in WooCommerce

Manually (not recommended above 50 products)

You upload the label image and the PDF information sheet to each product page by hand. Every time the manufacturer changes something (and they do), you update it by hand. Nothing checks that it’s correct.

Via the EPREL API

EPREL offers a public REST API. Using a product’s EPREL ID, you can pull the official label and information sheet yourself. It’s a job for a developer and needs a custom integration. We’ve packaged this into a plugin.

With a plugin

The cleaner route: you enter only the EPREL ID in a custom product field. The plugin:

• Pulls the official label and information sheet from the EPREL API
• Caches the images and PDFs locally (faster loading, less dependence on the EU server)
• Updates automatically when the manufacturer updates the label
• Validates the format before the product is published
• Places the label next to the price, as the EU guidelines require

Practical checklist

• Do all products currently subject to energy labeling have a label in the A–G format (not A+++)?
• Does every label link to the information sheet (PDF data sheet)?
• Is the label visible above the fold, not buried deep in the description?
• Is the label in its original format, not a custom version?
• Can you find each product’s EPREL ID in the admin?
• Do sale items keep their label, not just regular-price items?