EN    EN EN  
EN 1   EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 17.10.2008  
 
Draft 
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No …/.. 
of […]  
implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the Europe an Parliament and of the Council with 
regard to ecodesign requirements for no-load condition electric power consumption and 
average active efficiency of external power supplies 
(presented by the Commission)  
EN 2   EN EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM  
1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 
• Grounds for and objectives of the proposal  
The Ecodesign Framework Directive 2005/32/ EC establishes a framework for the 
setting of ecodesign requirements for energy- using products. It is a key instrument of 
EU policy for improving the energy and othe r environmental performances of products 
in the Internal Mark et. The Directive lists products  identified by the Council and the 
European Parliament as priorities for the Commission for implementation, including 
consumer electronics and office equipment (Article 16). Such equipment is often 
powered by external power supplies (EPSs), which convert electricity from the mains 
power source to power specific to 'prima ry load products' (e.g. notebook computers, 
mobile phones, MP3 players). The power c onversion efficiency of external power 
supplies is an important aspect for the en ergy performance of primary load products, 
thus external power supplies are one of th e priority products groups considered for 
implementing measures under the Ecodesign Directive. 
A technical, environmental and economical analysis ('preparatory study') has shown 
that i) EPSs are placed in large quantit ies on the EU market, ii) the environmental 
impact related to the life cycle energy co nsumption and electricity consumption of 
EPSs is significant, iii) there is a wide di sparity in the environmental impacts of EPSs 
currently on the market, and technical cost-e ffective solutions exist that could lead to 
significant improvements. Under Article 15 of Directive 2005/32/EC, EPSs should 
therefore be covered by an ec odesign implementing measure. 
• General context  
The significant aspect for improving the envi ronmental performance of EPSs is the life 
cycle energy consumption. For many applic ations (e.g. notebook computers), the use- 
phase energy consumption is the most significant contribution to the life cycle energy 
consumption. For EPSs powering mobile pr imary load products (e.g. mobile phones) 
impacts from production and distribution are comparable to the use-phase impact. The 
use-phase electricity consump tion of EPSs can be reduced significantly in a cost 
effective way, as can the environmental im pact of their production, distribution and 
disposal by putting on the market EPSs with lower material content/weight. Additional 
reductions may be achieved by reducing the number of EPSs placed on the market/in use. The latter can possibly be achieved by exte nding the life time of EPS, in particular 
by ensuring their compatibility by standard ising the interfaces (allowing a single EPS 
to power other similar products). 
EPSs are an accessory usually sold together with the 'primary load' product such as a 
mobile phone or a notebook computer. Little in centive exists for th e manufacturers of 
'primary load' products to supply energy-efficient EPSs to the user, because EPSs with advanced environmental performance may cost more to procure. Even if the additional 
cost is usually very small per EPS unit, th is can nevertheless be important for price-
sensitive markets. Cost-effective improvement  potentials for the end-user are therefore 
often not realised. 
The standardization of interfaces so far has not been widespread, e.g. due to technical  
EN 3   EN challenges arising from safety considerations. 
The objective of the proposed Regulation is  to trigger the market transformation 
needed to realise the improvement potenti als. Compared to a business-as-usual 
scenario it is estimated that the propos ed Regulation will lead to annual use-phase 
electricity consumption savings (EU-27) of about 9 TWh by 2020, corresponding to an 
annual reduction of 3.6 Mt  of CO2 emissions. The improvement in use-phase 
electricity consumption will also lead to life cycle-primary energy savings of 118 PJ 
and reduce waste, because use-phase effici ency improvements are achieved to a large 
extent with technologies us ing less mate rial input. 
Additional savings are expected with EPSs sold in other parts of the world, because 
many primary load products powered by EPSs  are produced or delivered to identical 
specifications, for the EPS as well. 
• Existing provisions in the area of the proposal  
There are no existing provisions covering ecodesign of EPSs in the area of the 
proposal. The proposal is expected to reduce waste from EPSs, and thereby contributes 
to meeting the objectives of Directive 2002/96/ EC of the European Parliament and of 
the Council ('WEEE Directive'). 
• Consistency with the other policies and objectives of the Union  
Directive 2005/32/EC is an important inst rument for achieving the objective of 20% 
energy savings compared with projections for 2020, and its implementation is one of 
the priorities in the Commission's Ener gy Efficiency Action Plan. Furthermore, 
implementation of the Directive 2005/32/EC will contribute to the EU's target of 
reducing greenhouse gases by at least 20% by 20 20, or 30% if there is an international 
agreement that commits other developed count ries to comparable emissions reductions. 
The proposed Regulation is a concrete contribu tion to this process and is in line with 
the Commission Action Plan on Sust ainable Consumption and Production and 
Sustainable Industrial Policy. 
2) CONSULTATION OF INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT  
• Consultation of interested parties  
Consultation methods, main sectors targ eted and general pr ofile of respondents  
Stakeholders were consulted as part of th e preparatory study (see below for details) and 
within the Ecodesign Consultation Forum. 
On 22 February 2008, the Ecodesign Consultatio n Forum (established under Article 18 
of Directive 2005/32/EC) held a meeting on EPSs. Building on the results of the 
preparatory study, Commission staff presented a 'working document' suggesting 
ecodesign requirements for these de devices . The working document also contained 
suggestions for ecodesign requirements fo r halogen lighting convertors powering low-
voltage halogen lamps. It wa s sent to the members of th e Consultation Forum, and to 
the secretariats of the ENVI (Environment,  Public Health and Food Safety) and ITRE 
(Industry, Research and Energy) Committees  of the European Parliament for 
information. The working document was published on DG TREN's ecodesign website  
EN 4   EN and placed on the Commission's CIRCA porta l alongside the stakeholder comments 
received in writing before and after the meeting. 
In addition, the initiative was discusse d at meetings of Co mmission staff with 
stakeholders, and with international pa rtners on many occasions, e.g. the EU-US 
Summit process, the EU-Japan Energy and Regulatory Cooperation Dialogues, the IEA 
'Implementing Agreement Energy Efficien t End Use Equipment', the International 
Platform for Energy Efficiency Cooperati on and bilateral mee tings of Commission 
services with delegations from China, India, Korea, APEC, etc. 
The draft measure will be notified to the WTO/TBT before formal adoption to ensure 
that no barrier to trade is introduced. 
Summary of responses and how th ey have been taken into account  
The positions of the main stakeholders, as expressed before, during and after the 
Consultation Forum meeting on 22 February  2008 in reaction to the Commission staff 
working document, can be summarised as follows. 
The Member States supported ecodesign legi slation on EPSs as defined in the working 
document, including 'chargers' e.g. for mobile phones, but excluding battery chargers, e.g. for separate accumulators. The suggested levels for power consumption requirements and the staged timing were in general considered appropriate. A mandate 
to the European standardisation organisations  for the standardisation of interfaces was 
supported. 
The general approach to set mandatory requirements under the Ecodesign Directive 
was largely supported by industry associ ations. The European Information & 
Communications Technology Industry Asso ciation (EICTA) welcomed ecodesign 
legislation on EPSs, supported the propos ed requirements the use-phase energy 
consumption, and welcomed the consistency with the criteria for the voluntary US 
Energy Star programme on EPSs, while under lining that the approach to make the 
Energy Star criteria mandatory could not be followed for potential ecodesign 
implementing measures for more complex products. However, for EPSs used with mobile primary load products such as  mobile phones and MP3 players, the 
requirements for active efficiency were cri ticised as being too demanding, involving a 
risk that the life-cycle environmental impact  could be negatively affected. Furthermore, 
the technical feasibility of ensuring the compatibility of EPSs by standardising EPS 
interfaces was questioned, and, with regard to manufacturers ope rating at European 
level only, concerns were expressed about the timing for the first stage. 
The Federation of Nationa l Manufacturers Associati ons for Luminaires and 
Electrotechnical Components for Lumina ires in the European Union (CELMA) 
suggested that halogen lighting transforme rs should be covered by lighting-specific 
implementing measures, including transfor mers built into luminaires. Magnetic 
transformers could not comply with the requirements suggest ed in the working 
document and a transitional period longer than  one year was necessary. Furthermore, 
exemptions for special applications such  as humid operating conditions should be 
provided. 
Environmental and Consumer NGOs welcomed  the requirement for use-phase energy 
consumption, but the scope should be extended  to halogen lighting transformers with  
EN 5   EN an output power above 250 W (envisaged fo r EPSs). The Consumer NGOs supported a 
mandate to the European standardisation or ganisations for the st andardisation of EPS 
interfaces, while Environmental NGOs expresse d concerns that this approach was too 
lengthy and might not deliver th e desired results in good time , so asked instead for the 
standardisation specification to be included in the implementing measure itself. Further 
issues raised included the role of require ments for providing relevant information to 
consumers. 
• Collection and use of expertise  
Scientific/expertise domains concerned  
External expertise was mainly gathered through the preparator y study providing a 
technical, environmental and economic analysis, which was carried out by a consortium of external consultants on beha lf of the Commission's Directorate General 
for Energy and Transport (DG TREN). Furtherm ore, the European Code of Conduct on 
Efficiency of External Power Supplies, a voluntary initiative which is in place since 
2002 and is managed by the Commission's Dir ectorate General Joint Research Centre, 
provided data and expertise. 
Methodology used  
The methodology followed the provisions of the Directive, in partic ular its Article 15 
and Annexes I and II. The technical, envi ronmental and economic analysis followed 
the structure of the 'M ethodology Study Eco-design of  Energy-using Products' 
developed for the Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (DG 
ENTR) and endorsed by stakeholders. 
Main organisations/experts consulted  
The preparatory study was conducted in an open process, taking into account input 
from relevant stakeholders including manufacturers and their associations, 
environmental NGOs, consumer organisations, EU/EEA Member State experts, experts 
from third countries (e.g. USA, Australia, Taiwan) and international organisations such 
as the International Energy Agency (IEA).  
Summary of advice received and used  
The technical, market and economical analys is carried out for the preparatory study 
resulted in recommendations for the  'no-load' condition power consumption and 
average active efficiency of EPSs. These recommendations were used, in conjunction 
with the most recent available data from the European Code of Conduct for EPSs and the US Energy Star programme for EP Ss, for suggesting possible ecodesign 
requirements to the Consultation Forum. 
The existence of potentially serious risks with  irreversible conse quences has not been 
mentioned by any stakeholder nor were any identified during the preparatory work. 
Means used to make the exper t advice publicly available  
The preparatory study was accompanied by a de dicated website where interim results 
and further relevant materials were publ ished regularly for timely stakeholder  
EN 6   EN consultation and input. Written inputs from st akeholders are listed in the final report of 
the preparatory study. The study website was publicised  on the ecodesign-specific 
websites of DG TREN and DG ENTR. An op en consultation meeting for directly 
affected stakeholders was organised at th e Commission in Brusse ls for discussing the 
preliminary results of the study. 
The written input received during the Consu ltation Forum process is available on the 
Commission's CIRCA portal. Th e minutes of the Forum mee ting on EPSs are available 
on the DG TREN website 
• Impact assessment  
The outcome of the impact assessment can be summarised as follows. 
Several policy options have been considered. Option 1: No EU action This option implies that a major part of  the improvement pot ential would not be 
realised, because the barriers for realizing the potentials to improve the environmental 
performance of EPSs would persist. Furthe rmore, Member States would most likely 
want to take individual, non-harmonised ac tion. This would hamper the functioning of 
the internal market and lead to hi gh administrative burdens and costs for 
manufacturers, contrary to the goals of  the Ecodesign Directive. In addition, the 
mandate from the legislator  would not be respected. 
Option 2: Self-regulation No initiative for self-regulation on EPSs under Annex VIII of the Ecodesign Directive 
has been brought forward. 
Option 3: Ecodesign requirements for EPSs se t only as part of Ecodesign implementing 
measures for primary load products 
This option implies that many EPSs would not be covered, because the environmental 
impact of the associated primary load pr oduct is small and a dedicated ('vertical') 
ecodesign implementing measure may not be justified. Alt hough 'no-load' energy 
consumption would be reduced by the pla nned implementing regulation for standby/off 
mode, the improvement potential with advan ced performance in active mode would not 
be realised to a satisfactory extent because  only a very minor pr oportion of EPSs would 
be covered by implementing measures for spec ific primary load products. Furthermore, 
a targeted measure for EPSs is, from an ad ministrative point of view, more effective 
than a (large) number of measures targeting primary load products powered by EPSs, largely with the same or a similar objective.  In addition, the specific mandate from the 
legislator would not be respected. 
Option 4: Energy labelling ta rgeting specifically EPSs 
This option implies that a major part of  the improvement pot ential would not be 
realised, because little incentiv e exists to purchase EPSs w ith a 'good' grading. This is 
because the absolute energy consumption of an EPS is small and the difference in electricity costs between two labelling gr ades is usually low, assuming the band  
EN 7   EN between two grades is sufficiently narrow to  allow for differentiation between EPSs. 
Furthermore, the administrative burdens  for manufacturers would be higher when 
compared with the burdens associated with  minimum requirements, and, depending on 
the actual design of the labelling scheme, add itional burdens could arise for retailers. In 
addition, the specific mandate from the legislator would not be respected. 
Option 5: Ecodesign implementing regulation on EPSs This option aims at improve the environm ental impact of EPSs by setting maximum 
levels for energy consumption. 
Following the principle of propor tionality in conducting the analysis, Options 1-4 were 
assessed qualitatively and discarded for the detailed analysis, and the impact 
assessment focussed on Option 5. In accordan ce with Article 15(4) and 15(5) of 
Directive 2005/32/EC, the impact on the envi ronment, consumers and manufacturers. 
Several sub-options for setting ecodesign re quirements for power consumption levels 
and the timing for entry into force were assessed.  
Conclusion It has been concluded that two sets of ecodesign requirements for the active average 
efficiency and the no-load power consumpti on, to become effective 1 year and 2 years 
after entry into force of the proposed Regul ation, respectively, provide the appropriate 
balance between an improved environmental im pact of EPSs and cost benefits for the 
user/consumer (due to reduced   electricity consumption), on the one hand, and possible 
additional burdens for manufacturers (in part icular due to unplanned re-design) on the 
other hand. In particular:  
1. a clear legal framework which leaves flexib ility to achieve the energy efficiency 
levels of stage 2 for EPS either in two st eps, or earlier (before stage 2 comes into 
effect); 
2. no significant impacts on the competitivene ss of industry, and in  particular SMEs 
due to the small absolute costs related to product re-design and re-assessment of conformity; 
3. no impact on employment in the EU, and mi nor impacts, if any, on employment in 
countries producing EPS; 
4. reduction of the life cycle environmental impact  of EPS, in particular related to the 
total energy consumption, the use-phase electricity consumption and waste;  
5. removing of barriers for market take up of advanced EPS, and ensure proper 
functioning of the internal market; 
6. no significant administrative burden s for manufacturers or retailers; 
7. only a small increase, if any, of the purcha sing cost (economies of scale for effective 
technologies), which would be largely ove rcompensated by savings during the use-
phase of the product. 
3) LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL   
EN 8   EN • Summary of the proposed action  
1. Definition of the EPSs covered 
The scope of the product categories addresse d by the proposed ecodesign regulation on 
EPSs covers EPSs with a rated output up to 250W. This is in line with the preparatory study and international EPS initiatives and legislation. Pr oducts included in the scope 
are e.g. EPSs for mobile phones, MP3 play ers, notebooks, cordless phones etc. For 
primary load products powered by low vo ltage EPSs (mobile applications) the 
requirements on no-load set in the context of the EPSs regulati on address the same 
environmental aspect as the requireme nts set out in Co mmission Regulation … 
(standby), because the standby/off mode pow er consumption of the primary load 
product/EPS system is measured only on th e EPS. Furthermore, the no-load power 
consumption of low voltage EPSs should be more demanding than the ecodesign 
requirements for off-mode equipment set out in Commission Regulation. 
The preparatory study also analysed 'hal ogen lighting convertors' for low-voltage 
halogen lamps, and 'battery chargers'. Th e main difference between battery chargers 
and EPS is that the output of the battery  charger physically connects directly to a 
removable battery (e.g. standard battery ch arger for AA/AAA accumulators), which is 
not the case for EPSs. Halogen lighting c onvertors will be covered by a lighting-
specific ecodesign implementing measure, b ecause this ensures a more consistent 
legislative framework (differing measuremen t methods, importance of convertors built 
into luminaires, output power of convertors often greater than 250W). Battery chargers 
are not covered because the preparatory study concluded that the potential for 
improving the environmental impact is only  minor. In particul ar, the potential for 
improving the use-phase energy is not cost-e ffective, and the contribution to the life-
cycle energy consumption of the products anal ysed in the preparatory study is less than 
5%. Furthermore, appropriate measuremen t methods necessary for setting specific 
ecodesign requirements are not available. 
2. Staged implementation of ecodesign requirements 
• Energy Efficiency levels 
Minimum requirements for energy efficiency le vels for active average efficiency and 
no-load consumption are proposed, to come into force in two stages, with transition periods of one year and two years after en try into force of the proposed regulation. 
These requirements aim to realise the us e-phase energy consumption improvement 
potential, while fulfilling the criteria for ecodesign implementing measures set out in 
the Ecodesign Directive. In addition to improvements of the use phase energy consumption, improvements of the life-cy cle energy consumption are achieved, 
because design-solutions yielding improve d energy performance imply reductions of 
material input and weight, and, conse quently, reductions of distribution phase 
environmental impacts, and reductions of wa ste. The preparatory study and analysis of 
the most recent data, including data from the European Code of Conduct for EPS and 
Energy Star, have shown that these levels can  be achieved with curr ent state-of-the-art 
technology. 
The Stage 1 requirements correspond to the ma ndatory requirements set in federal US 
legislation, applicable as of 1 July 2008, and the Stage 2 requirements correspond to  
EN 9   EN the new specifications (Version 2.0) of th e US Energy Star programme for EPSs. The 
proposed levels differ slightly from the le vels suggested in the working document, 
because the final version of the new specifica tions (Version 2.0) of the US Energy Star 
programme for EPSs has been fine-tuned comp ared to the draft version available when 
the working document was presented to the Consultation Forum on 22 February 2008. 
However, the guiding principle for the stag e 2 requirements was alignment with the 
new Energy Star criteria. 
Compared to the suggestions contained in the working document, the average active 
mode requirement is less demanding for E PSs for mobile primary load products (e.g. 
mobile phones), because the e nvironmental impact of 'activ e' use is less important, and 
there may be a trade-off with material-r elated impacts for achieving compliance. On 
the other hand, for mobile primary load pr oducts the no-load pow er consumption is 
more important, because the EPS often rema ins connected to the mains power source 
after the mobile primary load product is di sconnected from the EPS, and consequently 
a more demanding no-load requirement than  in Regulation … on standby/off mode is 
proposed (0.3 W in contrast to 0.5 W). 
The first-stage requirements ensure that EPSs placed on the market during the time 
between the first and second stage achieve a certain en vironmental performance. 
Otherwise, EPSs placed on the market, with a life time of several years, would be on 
the market longer than necessary, lead ing to unnecessary energy consumption. 
In order to allow sufficient time for re-des ign to ensure compliance, and in order to 
allow economies of scale to come into effect for technologies that are not yet cost-effective, the second stage is proposed to b ecome effective two years after entry into 
force of the regulation (in 2011 if the regula tion comes into force as planned in 2009). 
3. Measurements 
• Measurement method 
An appropriate measurement method has be en developed for the US Energy Star 
programme. The method is widely accepted and used in legislation in the US and in 
China, and by the European Code of Conduc t for EPSs. The relevant draft mandate 
will be presented to the Regulatory Committee. 
Verification procedure for market surveillance purposes A verification procedure for market surveill ance purposes has to be specified. It is 
proposed to set a tolerance of  10% for no-load, and 5% for average active efficiency. 
The test procedure should eventually be  part of the Eur opean standard for 
measurement, which will supersede the verification procedur e contained in the 
proposed regulation. 
4. Information to be provided by the manufacturers In order to facilitate co mpliance checks, manufacturers are requested to provide 
information in the technical documentati on referred to in Annexes IV and V of 
Directive 2005/32/EC on the average activ e efficiency, and the no-load power 
consumption.  
EN 10   EN 5. Conformity assessment procedures 
As required in Article 8 of Directive 2005/32/EC the internal  design contro l set out in 
Annex IV of Directive 2005/ 32/EC and the management system for assessing 
conformity set out in Annex V of Directive 2005/32/EC are specified as the applicable 
procedures for carrying out conform ity assessment under this Regulation. 
6. Based on the currently available technolog ies with high active efficiency and low 
no-load power consumption benchmarks ar e provided in order to ensure wide 
availability and easy access to information, in  particular SMEs and very small firms, 
which further facilitates the integration of  best design technologies for reducing the 
energy consumption. 
7. Date for evaluation and possible revision The main issues for a possible revisi on of the proposed Regulation are  
- the appropriateness of the energy efficiency levels; - the appropriateness of the benchmarks; - the appropriateness of the product scope,  in particular the exclusion of battery 
chargers. 
The second stage is proposed to  become effective two years af ter entry into force of the 
regulation. Taking into account the time  necessary to collect, analyse and 
complementing the data and experiences re lated to the second stage in order to 
properly assess the technologi cal progress, a review ca n be presented to the 
Consultation Forum four years after entry into force of the regulation. 
• Legal basis  
The proposed Regulation is an implem enting measure pursuant to Directive 
2005/32/EC, in particular its Ar ticle 15(1). The Directive is  based on Article 95 of the 
Treaty. 
• Subsidiarity principle  
The adoption of different ecodesign measures for external power supplies by individual 
Member States would lead to obstacles to  the free movement of goods within the 
Community. Such measures must therefor e have the same content throughout the 
Community. In line with the principle of subs idiarity, it is thus appropriate for the 
measures in question to be adopted at Community level. 
• Proportionality principle  
In accordance with the principle of propor tionality, this measure does not go beyond 
what is necessary in order to achieve the objective.  
  
EN 11   EN • Choice of instruments  
Proposed instruments: regulation. 
Other means would not be adequate for the following reason(s). 
The proposed form of action is a Commi ssion Regulation (implementing Directive 
2005/32/EC), because the objectives of the acti on can be achieved most efficiently by 
fully harmonised requirements throughout th e EU (including the date for entry into 
force), thus ensuring the free movement of  complying equipment. No costs arise for 
national administrations for transp osition into national legislation. 
4) BUDGETARY IMPLICATION  
The proposal has no implications for the Community budget. 
5) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
• Review/revision/sunset clause  
The proposal includes a review clause. 
• European Economic Area  
The proposed act concerns an EEA matter a nd should therefore extend to the European 
Economic Area.  
EN 12   EN Draft 
COMMISSION REGULATION 
of […] 
implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the Euro pean Parliament and of the Council with 
regard to ecodesign requirements for no-load condition electric power consumption and 
average active efficiency of external power supplies 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty esta blishing the European Community, 
Having regard to Directive 2005/32/EC of the Eu ropean Parliament and of the Council of 6 
July 2005 establishing a framework for the sett ing of ecodesign requirements for energy-using 
products and amending Council Directive 92/42/EEC and Directives 96/57/EC and 
2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council1 and in particular Article 15(1) 
thereof, 
After consulting the Ecodes ign Consultation Forum, 
Whereas: (1) Under Directive 2005/32/EC ecodesign require ments are to be set by the Commission 
for energy using products representing significa nt volumes of sales and trade, having a 
significant environmental impact and presen ting significant potential for improvement 
in terms of their environmental impact without entailing excessive costs. 
(2) Article 16(2) of Directive 2005/32/EC provides that in accordance with the procedure 
referred to in Article 19(3) and the criteria set out in Article 15(2) , and after consulting 
the Consultation Forum, the Commission will as appropriate introduce an implementing measure for office equipment and consumer electronics. 
(3) Office equipment and consumer electronics are often powered by external power 
supplies (EPS) which convert electricity from the mains power source. The power 
conversion efficiency of external power suppl ies is an important aspect of the energy 
performance of such products, and thus extern al power supplies are one of the priority 
product groups for which ecodesign re quirements should be established. 
(4) The Commission has carried out a prepar atory study to analyse the technical, 
environmental and economic aspects of ex ternal power supplies. The study has been 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 191, 22.7.2005, p. 29.  
EN 13   EN carried out together with stakeholders and interested parties from the Community and 
third countries, and the results have  been made publicly available. 
(5) It is stated in the preparatory study th at external power supplies are placed on the 
Community market in large qua ntities, with their annual en ergy consumption in all life 
cycle stages being the most significant environmental aspect, and their annual electricity consumption due to losses for power conversion and no-load amounting to 
17 TWh, corresponding to 6.8 Mt of CO2 emissi ons. In the absence of measures this 
consumption is predicted to increase to 31 TWh in 2020. It has been concluded that the 
life-cycle energy consumption and the use- phase electricity consumption can be 
improved significantly. 
(6) Improvements in the electricity consumpti on of external power supplies should be 
achieved by applying existing non-proprietary cost effective technologies that can 
reduce the total costs of purchasing a nd operating external power supplies. 
(7) Ecodesign requirements should harmonise electricity cons umption requirements for 
no-load condition power consumption and aver age active efficiency of external power 
supplies throughout the Community, thus and contributing to the functioning of the 
internal market and to the improvement of  the environmental performance of these 
products. 
(8) The ecodesign requirements should not have negative impact on the functionality of 
the product and should not aff ect negatively health, safety  and the environment. In 
particular, the benefits of reducing electricity consumpti on during the use phase should 
more than offset potential additional environmental impacts during the production 
phase. 
(9) The two-staged entry into force of th e ecodesign requirements should provide an 
appropriate timeframe for ma nufacturers to redesign products . The timing of the stages 
should be such that negative impacts on the functionalities of equipment on the market 
are avoided, and cost impacts for manufacturer s, in particular small and medium-sized 
enterprises, are taken into account, while en suring timely achievem ent of the objectives 
of the Regulation. Measurements of the power consumption should be performed 
taking into account the genera lly recognised state of the art. Manufacturers may use 
harmonised standards established in accordance with Article 10 of Directive 2005/32/EC. 
(10) This Regulation should increase the market penetration of technologies that improve 
the life-cycle environmental im pact of external power suppl ies, leading to estimated 
life-cycle energy savings of 118 PJ and electricity savings of 9 TWh by 2020, 
respectively, compared to the situ ation without taking any measures. 
(11) In conformity with Article 8 of Directiv e 2005/32/EC, this Regulation should specify 
that the applicable conformity assessment pr ocedures are the internal design control set 
out in Annex IV of Directive 2005/32/EC and the management system set out in Annex 
V of Directive 2005/32/EC. 
(12) In order to facilitate compliance checks manu facturers should be requested to provide 
information in the technical documentati on referred to in Annexes IV and V of 
Directive 2005/32/EC on average active e fficiency and no-load electric power 
consumption.  
EN 14   EN (13) Benchmarks for currently available technol ogies with high active efficiency and low 
no-load power consumption should be identified. This will help to ensure the wide availability and easy accessibility of inform ation, in particular for small and medium-
sized enterprises and very small firms, whic h will further facilitate the integration of 
best design technologies for reducing energy consumption. 
(14) Ecodesign requirements for th e no-load condition of low voltage external power 
supplies address the same environmental impact parameter as ecodesign requirements for the off-mode condition of electrical a nd electronic household and office equipment 
placed on the market with a low voltage  external power supply. As ecodesign 
requirements for the no-load condition of lo w voltage external pow er supplies should 
be more demanding than ecodesign requireme nts for off-mode condition of electrical 
and electronic household and office equipment placed on the market with a low voltage external power supply, the requirements of Regulation (EC)  No …/… of […] 
implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the Eu ropean Parliament and of the Council 
with regard to ecodesign requirements for standby and off-mode power consumption of 
electrical and elec tronic household and office equipment
2, should not apply to 
electrical and electronic household and offi ce equipment which is placed on the market 
with a low voltage external power supply. Regulation (EC) No …/… should therefore 
be amended accordingly. 
(15) The measures provided for in this Regulati on are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Committee established by Article 19(1) of Directive 2005/32/EC, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLO WING REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Subject matter and scope  
1. This Regulation establishes ec odesign requirements related to  electric power consumption 
in no-load condition and average active e fficiency of external power supplies. 
2. This Regulation shall not apply to: 
(a) voltage convertors, (b) un-interruptible power supplies, (c) battery chargers, (d) halogen lighting convertors, (e) external power suppl ies for medical devices, 
(f) external power supplies placed on the market no later than 30 June 2015 as a 
service part or spare part for an identi cal external power supply which was placed on 
the market not later than one year after this Regulation ha s come into force, under the 
condition that the service part or spare pa rt, or its packaging, clearly indicates the 
                                                
 
2 OL L …, …., p. …  
EN 15   EN primary load product(s) for which the spare part  or service part is intended to be used 
with. 
Article 2 
Definitions 
For the purposes of this Regulation, the defi nitions set out in Di rective 2005/32/EC shall 
apply.  
The following definitions shall also apply: (1) "external power supply" means a device wh ich meets all of th e following criteria: 
(a) it is designed to convert al ternating current (AC) power input from the mains 
power source input into lower voltage  direct current (D C) or AC output; 
(b) it is able to convert to only one DC  or AC output voltage at a time; 
(c) it is intended to be used with a separate device that constitutes the primary load; 
(d) it is contained in a physical enclosure separate from the device that constitutes 
the primary load; 
(e) it is connected to the device that constitu tes the primary load via a removable or 
hard-wired male/female el ectrical connection, cable,  cord or other wiring; 
(f) it has nameplate output power not exceeding 250 Watts, 
(g) it is intended for use with electrical  and electronic household and office 
equipment as referred to in Article 2 (1) of Regulation (EC) No  …/… 
(2) "low voltage external power supply" means an external power s upply with a nameplate 
output voltage of less than 6 Volts and a name plate output current greater than or equal 
to 550 milliamperes; 
(3) "Halogen lighting convertor" means an exte rnal power supply used with extra low 
voltage tungsten halogen lamps; 
(4) "un-interruptible power supply" means a de vice providing automa tically backup power 
when the electrical power from the mains power source drops to an unacceptable 
voltage level; 
(5) "battery charger" means a device which connec ts directly to a removable battery at its 
output interface; 
(6) "voltage convertor" means a device conve rting 230V mains power  source output to 
110V power output with characteristics similar to mains power source output 
characteristics; 
(7) "nameplate output power" (P
O) means the output powe r as specified by the 
manufacturer;  
EN 16   EN (8) "no-load condition" means the condition in which the input of an external power 
supply is connected to the mains power sour ce, but the output is not connected to any 
primary load; 
(9) "active mode" means a condition in which th e input of an external power supply is 
connected to the mains power source, a nd the output is connected to a load; 
(10) "active mode efficiency" means the ratio of the power produced by an external power 
supply in active mode, to the i nput power require d to produce it; 
(11) "average active efficiency" means the averag e of the active mode efficiencies at 25%, 
50%, 75% and 100% of the nameplate output power. 
Article 3 
Ecodesign requirements  
The ecodesign requirements related to no-load electric power consumpt ion and average active 
efficiency of external power supplies placed  on the market are set out in Annex I. 
Article 4 
Conformity assessment 
The procedure for assessing conformity referred to in Article 8 of Di rective 2005/32/EC shall 
be the internal design control system set out in Annex IV of Directive 2005/32/EC or the 
management system for assessing conformity set out in Annex V of  Directive 2005/32/EC. 
Article 5 
Verification procedure for market surveillance purposes  
Surveillance checks shall be carried out in acco rdance with the verification procedure set out 
in Annex II. 
Article 6 
Indicative Benchmarks 
The indicative benchmarks for best-performi ng products and technology currently available on 
the market are identified in Annex III . 
Article 7 
Revision 
No later than 4 years after the entry into for ce of this Regulation the Commission shall review 
it in the light of technological pr ogress and present the result of this review to the Consultation 
Forum.  
EN 17   EN Article 8 
Amendment to Regulation (EC) No …/…  
Regulation (EC) No …/… is amended as follows: 
(1) The following second paragraph is added to Article 1: "This Regulation shall not apply to electrical and electronic household and office equipment 
placed on the market with a low voltage external power supply." 
(2) The following point 9 is  added to Article 2: 
"9. low voltage external power supply" means an external power supply with a nameplate 
output voltage of le ss than 6 Volts and a namepl ate output current greater than or equal to 550 
milliamperes." 
Article 9 
Entry into force 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union . 
Point 1(a) of Annex I shall apply as from one year after the date referred to in the first 
paragraph. 
Point 1(b) of Annex I shall appl y as from two years after the date referred to in the first 
paragraph. 
Article 10 
This Regulation shall be binding in  its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States . 
Done at Brussels, […] 
 For the Commission 
 […] 
 Member of the Commission  
EN 18   EN ANNEX I  
Ecodesign requirements  
1. No-load power consumption a nd average active efficiency 
a) One year  after this Regulation has come into force: 
The no-load condition power consumption shall not exceed 0.50 Watt. The average active efficiency shall be not less than: 0.500 · P
O, for P O < 1.0 Watt; 
0.090 · ln(P O) + 0.500, for 1.0 Watt ≤ PO ≤ 51.0 Watts;  
0.850, for P O > 51.0 Watts. 
b) Two years  after this Regulation has come into force: 
The no-load condition power consumption shall not exceed the following limits: 
 AC-AC external 
power supplies, except low voltage external power supplies AC-DC external 
power supplies except low voltage external power supplies Low voltage external 
power supplies 
PO ≤  51.0 Watts 0.50 Watt 0.30 Watt 0.30 Watt 
PO  >51.0 Watts 0.50 Watt 0.50 Watt n/a 
 
The average active efficiency shall be not less than the following limits: 
 AC-AC and AC-DC external 
power supplies, except low voltage external power supplies Low voltage external power 
supplies 
PO  ≤ 1.0 Watt 0.480 · P O + 0.140 0.497 · P O + 0.067 
1.0 Watt < P O ≤ 51.0 
Watts 0.063 · ln(P O)+ 0.622 0.075 · ln(P O)+ 0.561 
PO > 51.0 Watts 0.870 0.860 
 
2. Measurements  
EN 19   EN The no-load condition power consumption and the average active efficiency referred to in 
Point 1 shall be established by a reliable, accu rate and reproducible measurement procedure, 
which takes into account the genera lly recognised state of the art. 
Measurements of power of 0.50 Watt or greater sha ll be made with an un certainty of less than 
or equal to 2% at the 95% confidence level. Measurements of power of less than 0.50 Watt 
shall be made with an uncertainty of less th an or equal to 0.01 Watt at the 95% confidence 
level. 
3. Information to be provided by manufacturers For the purposes of conformity assessment pursu ant to Article 4, the technical documentation 
shall contain the following elements: 
Reported Quantity  Description  
Root mean square (Rms) Output 
Current (mA)  
Rms Output Voltage (V)  
Active Output Power (W)  Measured at Load Conditions 1 – 4  
Rms Input Voltage (V)  
Rms Input Power (W)  
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)  
True Power Factor  Measured at Load Conditions 1 – 5  
Power Consumed (W)  Calculated at Load Condition 1 – 4, Measured at Load Condition 
5  
Efficiency  Calculated at  Load Conditions 1 – 4  
Average Efficiency  Arithmetic Average of  Efficiency at Load Conditions 1 – 4  
 
The relevant load conditions are as follows:  
Percentage of Nameplate Output Current  
Load Condition 1  100 % ± 2%  
Load Condition 2  75% ± 2%   
EN 20   EN Load Condition 3  50% ± 2%  
Load Condition 4  25% ± 2%  
Load Condition 5  0% (no-load condition) 
 
ANNEX II  
Verification procedure  
When performing the market surveillance checks referred to in Article 3 (2) of Directive 
2005/32/EC, the authorities of the Member St ates shall apply the following verification 
procedure for the requirements set out in Annex I. 
1. Authorities of the Member St ate shall test one single unit. 
2. The model shall be considered to comply with the provisions set out in Annex I, if: 
(a) the result for no-load cond ition does not exceed the applicable limit value set 
out in Annex I by more than 0.10 Watt, and 
(b) the arithmetic average of efficiency at load conditions 1-4 as  defined in Annex 
I does not fall below the applicable limit value for average active efficiency by 
more than 5%. 
3. If the results referred to in points 2(a) and (b) are not achieved, three additional units of the 
same model shall be tested. 
4. After three additional units of the same model have been tested, the model shall be 
considered to comply with the requirements if:  
(a) the average of the results for no-load condition does not exceed the applicable 
limit value set out in Annex I by more than 0.10 Watt, and  
(b) the average of the arithmetic averages of  efficiency at load  conditions 1-4 as 
defined in Annex I does not fall below th e applicable limit value for average 
active efficiency by more than 5%. 
 5. If the results referred to in points 4(a)  and (b) are not achieved, the model shall be 
considered not to comply with the requirements. 
ANNEX III  
Indicative Benchmarks ref erred to in Article 6  
a) No-load condition  
The lowest available no-load c ondition power consumption of ex ternal power supplies can be 
approximated by:  
EN 21   EN – 0.1 Watt or less, for P O ≤ 90 Watts; 
– 0.2 Watt or less, for 90 Watts < P O ≤ 150 Watts; 
– 0.4 Watt or less, for 150 Watts< P O ≤ 180 Watts; 
– 0.5 Watt or less, for P O > 180 Watts. 
b) Average active efficiency The best available active average efficiency of external power supplies according to most 
recent available data (status January 2008) can be approximated by:  
– 0.090 · ln(P
O) + 0.680, for 1.0 Watt ≤ PO ≤ 10.0 Watts; 
– 0.890, for P O > 10.0 Watts.