energy_efficiency_class

EU energy labelling is regulatory rather than promotional. Items in regulated categories sold in EU markets must declare energy class, and items without the declaration are blocked from EU placements. The 2021 simplified scale (A through G) replaced the legacy A+++ through G scale for most categories, but some categories still use the legacy ranges, so the canonical reference is the EU regulation for each specific product type.

Categories affected: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic displays, lamps, ovens, air conditioners. The list expands periodically — checking the current scope before listing electronics in EU markets is operational discipline that prevents quiet blocks.

Non-EU sellers exporting to EU markets often miss this entirely because their home market doesn't require it. The catalog passes validation in domestic markets and gets blocked at the EU edge without obvious diagnostics pointing at energy_efficiency_class. The fix is to populate energy_efficiency_class on EU-bound items even when domestic markets don't require it.