Household appliances on standby, here are the new rules adopted by the EU to save money

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The European Commission has adopted new rules to reduce the energy consumption of electrical appliances such as washing machines, televisions and portable games consoles when they are in standby mode. The revised rules introduce a number of changes to the 2008 ecodesign regulation on standby, off mode and networked standby, last updated in 2013, following an extensive consultation exercise and scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council.

The amendments take into account the technological and market developments of recent years and broaden the scope of application of the standards, including for example products with external low voltage power supply such as small network equipment (including wi-fi routers and modems) or wireless speakers.

By requiring the reduction of electricity consumption of products when they are in low-power mode, the Commission estimates that by 2030 annual energy savings of 4 TWh will be generated, which equates to annual savings of 1.36 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent . This will also benefit consumers by reducing their bills, with total savings for users estimated at €530 million per year by 2030.

Thanks to the revised standards, information on energy consumption in standby, off and networked standby modes, as well as the time it takes for the product to automatically reach one of these modes, will be more easily accessible to consumers. Manufacturers now have a two-year transition period until these new rules apply.