A tapping profile is a standardised draw-off sequence, defined in Annex III of Regulation (EU) No 814/2013, against which a water heater's energy efficiency is measured. Each profile carries a reference energy Qref: 2.100 kWh for S, 5.845 kWh for M, 11.655 kWh for L, 19.070 kWh for XL and 24.530 kWh for XXL. The measurement cycle runs for 24 hours with no draw-off between 00:00 and 06:59, then follows the declared profile's sequence from 07:00. The manufacturer declares either the maximum profile the appliance holds, or the one immediately below it.
What Regulation (EU) 814/2013 calls a tapping profile
The draw-off sequence, the 24-hour cycle and the declared profile
The profile is not a usage class, it is a test protocol. Annex III fixes the time of every draw, its useful energy Qtap, its flow rate f and the minimum useful temperature Tm, with a peak temperature Tp to be reached on certain draws. Measurements run over a 24-hour cycle with no draw before 07:00. An off-peak appliance receives energy over a maximum of 8 consecutive hours between 22:00 and 07:00. That framework is what makes two product fiches comparable.
The table of tapping profiles, from 3XS to 4XL
The ten profiles and their reference energy, as set out in Table 1 of Annex III. The maximum flow rate is the largest value of f found in the profile's sequence, and the heaviest draw its largest value of Qtap.
| Profile | Qref (kWh) | Max. flow (l/min) | Heaviest draw (kWh) | Litres equivalent at 40°C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3XS | 0.345 | 2 | 0.015 | 10 |
| XXS | 2.100 | 2 | 0.105 | 60 |
| XS | 2.100 | 3 | 1.05 | 60 |
| S | 2.100 | 5 | 0.525 | 60 |
| M | 5.845 | 6 | 1.4 | 168 |
| L | 11.655 | 10 | 3.605 | 334 |
| XL | 19.070 | 10 | 4.42 | 547 |
| XXL | 24.530 | 16 | 6.24 | 703 |
| 3XL | 46.760 | 48 | 12.04 | 1,340 |
| 4XL | 93.520 | 96 | 24.08 | 2,680 |
The last column is not in the regulation. It is a conversion, obtained by dividing Qref by 34.9 Wh, the energy needed to raise one litre of water from 10 to 40°C. It lets you talk in litres with a client without leaving the regulated value, provided the assumed cold water temperature is written on the calculation note.
What the profile does not say, and what the product fiche must
The profile gives neither the cylinder volume, nor the reheat time, nor the immersion or backup power. A 200-litre and a 300-litre appliance can carry the same declared profile if their heating dynamics differ. Storage volume is read separately on the product fiche, and the gap between stored litres and litres actually drawable is worked through in DHW storage volume.
Reading the profile on the energy label and the product fiche
Where the profile appears and what it drives
The declared tapping profile appears on the energy label and on the product fiche. It directly drives the water heating efficiency threshold the appliance has to meet: the requirements in Annex II of Regulation 814/2013 are indexed on the profile, not on the volume. The same measured efficiency can therefore be compliant in L and non-compliant in XXL.
Minimum water heating efficiency by profile
Since 26 September 2017, water heating energy efficiency may not fall below the following values.
| Declared profile | 3XS | XXS | XS | S | M | L | XL | XXL | 3XL | 4XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum efficiency | 32% | 32% | 32% | 32% | 36% | 37% | 37% | 37% | 37% | 38% |
These are market-entry minimums, not site targets. On a heat pump water heater the declared efficiency sits far above them, and that gap is what justifies the price difference against a cheaper direct electric cylinder.
The documents that carry weight in an inspection
Three documents are enough, provided they carry the exact commercial reference: the energy label, the product fiche with the declared profile and the measured efficiency, and the commissioning record with the settings taken. Brochures and sales material prove nothing. An appliance delivered under a reference close to but not identical to the quotation reopens the whole subject, including on the workmanship warranty covering the pipework.
Turning a declared profile into sizing on site
Survey the usage before inferring anything from the number of rooms
Room count does not predict demand. Record the number of occupants, the position of the draw-off points, whether the bath is genuinely used, and above all the morning simultaneity: two showers at once is not two showers in a row. Note the flow rate measured at the shower head, not the one printed on the box. The per-person consumption benchmark is worked through in DHW consumption per person.
Match the profile to the generator you have chosen
A direct electric cylinder recovers fast but costs a lot per kWh, so it is sized on volume. A heat pump water heater recovers slowly and only holds a high profile if the store absorbs the peak. A space heating heat pump with a DHW coil only holds its profile if DHW priority is actually configured and the available output at design temperature stays sufficient. On solar, the profile is held by the backup, never by the collector array.
Check the reheat time before adding volume
Adding litres costs in standing losses, in space and in price. Before moving up a profile, check the reheat time at the installation's real flow rate and the available backup power. An appliance that recharges in an hour covers a second peak that an oversized, slow-recovering appliance never will.
What the tapping profile does not cover
Multi-occupancy buildings, secondary return and distribution losses
Tapping profiles describe an appliance, not an installation. As soon as there is a secondary return, distribution losses add to the draw-off demand and are counted nowhere in Qref. In multi-occupancy buildings those losses are costed separately, and the orders of magnitude and reduction levers are covered in DHW secondary return.
The temperatures imposed outside the ecodesign framework
Approved Document G caps bath outlets at 48°C in new dwellings, while legionella control under HSE guidance L8 pulls the other way with storage at 60°C and 50°C reached at outlets within a minute. The two are reconciled by thermostatic mixing at the outlet, not by lowering the store. None of this is measured by the tapping profile, and it connects directly to legionella safety devices.
Profiles 3XL and 4XL, and peak flow rates
Profiles 3XL and 4XL reach 48 and 96 l/min of maximum flow, with single draws of 12.04 and 24.08 kWh. These are not domestic profiles: they describe appliances aimed at communal or commercial demand. An installer who sees them on a product fiche for a single dwelling should check they are not reading the documentation for a neighbouring range.
What you write on the quotation and at commissioning
Quotation lines and the wording that commits you
Put the exact commercial reference on the quotation, together with the declared tapping profile, the water heating efficiency and the storage volume, four values the product fiche carries and that a catalogue built on verified manufacturer specifications already holds. Add the thermostatic mixing valve, the safety group, the expansion vessel and, on a heat pump water heater, the condensate drain. A line reading "200 L cylinder" with no declared profile proves nothing and cannot be defended.
The settings recorded in the commissioning sheet
At commissioning, record the measured storage setpoint, the temperature at the least favourable outlet after mixing, the programmed thermal treatment cycle and its frequency, then the pressure at the reducing valve. Date it and have it signed. That document is what separates a setting you argue about from a setting you can prove, and it also limits how far a comfort complaint can go.
Framing the profile at the pre-visit stage with Argile
With Argile you qualify the dwelling before travelling: occupants, draw-off points, existing generator, siting constraints. You arrive on site with a tapping profile already set and costed work plans, then move to the quotation with the funding rules applied automatically. The time saved shows up in the number of visits converted, not in the length of the quotation.
