11.11.2010 Official Journal of the European Union L 293)21 COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1015/2010 of 10 November 2010 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for household washing machines (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products ('), and in particular Article 15(1) thereof, After consulting the Ecodesign Consultation Forum, Whereas: (1) Under Directive 2009/125/EC ecodesign requirements should be set by the Commission for energy-related products representing significant volumes of sales and trade, having significant environmental impact and pre- senting significant potential for improvement in terms of their environmental impact without entailing excessive costs. 2) Article 16(2), first indent, of Directive 2009/125/EC provides that in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 19(3) and the criteria set out in Article 15(2), and after consulting the Ecodesign Consul- tation Forum, the Commission shall, as appropriate, introduce an implementing measure for domestic appliances, including household washing machines. (3)  The Commission has carried out a preparatory study to analyse the technical, environmental and economic aspects of household washing machines typically used in households. The study has been developed together with stakeholders and interested parties from the Union and third countries, and the results have been made publicly available. (4)  This Regulation should cover products designed for washing laundry in households. (5)  Household combined washer-driers have particular char- acteristics and should therefore be excluded from the scope of this Regulation. However, considering that they offer similar functionalities as household washing machines, they should be addressed as soon as possible in another implementing measure of Directive 2009/125/EC. (6)  The environmental aspect of the household washing machines, identified as significant for the purposes of this Regulation, is energy and water consumption in () OJ L 285, 31.10.2009, p. 10. the use phase. The annual electricity and water consumption of products subject to this Regulation was estimated to have been 35 TWh and 2 213 million m?, respectively, in the Union in 2005. Unless specific measures are taken, annual electricity and water consumption is predicted to be 37,7 TWh and 2051 million m? in 2020. The preparatory study shows that the electricity and water consumption of products subject to this Regulation can be significantly reduced. The preparatory study shows that requirements regarding other ecodesign parameters referred to in Part 1 of Annex I to Directive 2009/125/EC are not necessary as electricity and water consumptions of household washing machines in the use phase are by far the most important environmental aspect. The electricity and water consumptions of products subject to this Regulation should be made more efficient by applying existing non-proprietary cost- effective technologies that can reduce the combined costs of purchasing and operating these products. The ecodesign requirements should not affect func- tionality from the end-user’s perspective and should not negatively affect health, safety or the environment. In particular, the benefits of reducing electricity and water consumption during the use phase should more than offset any additional environmental impacts during the production phase. The ecodesign requirements should be introduced gradually in order to provide a sufficient timeframe for manufacturers to redesign products subject to this Regu- lation. The timing should be such as to avoid negative impacts on the functionalities of equipment on the market, and to take into account cost impacts for end- users and manufacturers, in particular small and medium-sized  enterprises, while ensuring timely achievement of the objectives of this Regulation. Measurements of the relevant product parameters should be performed using reliable, accurate and reproducible measurement methods, which take into account the recognised  state-of-the-art ~ measurement — methods including, where available, harmonised standards adopted by the European standardisation bodies, as listed in Annex I to Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regu- lations and of rules on Information Society services (?). () OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37.