New regulation: EU Commission tackles power guzzlers in standby mode

New regulation: EU Commission tackles power guzzlers in standby mode

“This is how climate and consumer protection go hand in hand”: Brussels wants to reduce the standby consumption of electronic devices with new rules. This should save billions of kilowatt hours and millions of euros.

In the future, electronic devices such as washing machines, televisions and portable game consoles will have to consume less electricity in standby mode. The European Commission has decided on corresponding requirements, as announced by the Brussels authority.

The Commission estimates that this will save four terawatt hours (TWh) per year by 2030 – twice Malta’s annual electricity consumption.

The measures should not only be good for the environment, but also good for the wallet: consumers should save around 530 million euros a year by 2030. “In this way, climate protection and consumer protection go hand in hand,” said Anna Cavazzini, MEP from the Green Party and Chair of the Internal Market Committee in the European Parliament.

According to the EU Commission, most electronic devices still use electricity when they are switched off or in standby mode. Rules have been in effect since 2008, which were last updated in 2013 and affect around 800 million products sold each year.

According to the Commission, the new regulation takes into account the technological developments of recent years and also applies to small network devices and wireless loudspeakers, for example. The new requirements are to come into force shortly and give manufacturers a two-year transition period.

Source: Stern

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