New EU Energy Consumption Regulations for Electronic Office Equipment

The Draft Commission Regulation, the authoritative body responsible for setting requirements on the maximum energy consumption of household and office equipment within the EU market, has recently released an amendment in accordance with Commission regulation (EC) No. 1275/2009 and (EU) 801/2013 under Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC.

The general EU commission regulation about product Off, Standby and Network Standby power has been reviewed, and the new proposed amendment includes additional requirements as well as a new implementation date.

The biggest difference within this new amendment is its extended scope, including:

• Previous exemptions for products supporting a low voltage external power supply will be removed
• Printers and gaming consoles which previously had a voluntary scheme will be introduced into the regulation
• Adjustable furniture will be included in scope
• Motor operated building elements like shutters, blinds, doors, windows, and other similar products operated by motors or actuators will be included
• All standby conditions and network standby conditions will be under the same proposed regulations as opposed to being spread between Regulation 1275 and Regulation 801 as previously
• The lower limit for standby and off mode is still proposed to be 0.5 Watt, but standby with display is suggested down to 0.8 Watt

Feedback for these proposed amendments was open until March 18, 2022. Its proposed date of adoption is currently set to September 2022.

Products that do not meet these requirements will not be allowed to enter the EU market after the requirements have come into force in September 2024. This gives manufacturers two years to conduct testing and acquire the proper documentation for EU market approval.

How Nemko Can Help

The consequences for not complying with these upcoming regulatory changes will be substantial. Many manufacturers therefore turn to a third-party notified body like Nemko to ensure their products are complying with all requirements. Nemko can test connected systems and devices in accordance with these new and existing requirements outlined in Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC.

Nemko provides customers with the essential consulting, advising, and testing solutions to ensure that your organization has the sufficient documentation for the upcoming Declaration of Conformity process, and we can support our customers’ global market access efforts through one of our nearly 30 locations across six continents.

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