UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYWASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
OFFICE OF
AIR AND RADIATION

May 2, 2019
Dear ENERGY STAR® Displays Brand Owner or Other Interested Party:
With this letter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to share the Final
Version 8.0 ENERGY STAR Displays specification. EPA would like to thank the many
stakeholders who have invested time and effort to contribute feedback that has informed thisspecification revision process.
Version 8.0 requirements will become effective on January 28, 2020. This specification
establishes challenging overall efficiency levels for all products and includes new and updated
allowances to recognize energy-efficient implementations of popular features such as HighDynamic Range, higher color gamut, wide viewing angles, and USB-C power delivery. If all
displays sold in the United States met these new requirements, the energy cost savings wouldgrow to more than $49 million each year and more than 900 million pounds of greenhouse gas
emissions would be prevented.
This specification was developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders including
numerous draft specifications and meetings. EPA received several comments in response to theFinal Draft specification, requesting modifications to the maximum Total Energy Consumption
equations and the allowances for curved Displays, Enhanced Performance Displays (EPDs),and USB Type C compatibility. EPA reviewed all comments thoroughly, held follow-up calls withstakeholders, and conducted additional analysis to identify appropriate adjustments. The
enclosed Comment Response Document contains a summary of comments on the Final Draft
specification and an explanation of EPA’s response in each case. Stakeholder comments,
previous drafts of the specification, and related materials are available on the Version 8.0
Displays product development website.
Changes reflected in this Final Version 8.0 specification are summarized below:• EPA updated the Partner Commitments for consistency with other consumer electronics
specifications, including the electronic labeling requirements and the product materialrequirements. The product material requirements were updated to reference the fourphthalates that were identified as substances of very high concern in the restriction of
hazardous substances (RoHS) 3 directive1, with which EPA harmonizes in relevant
specifications.
• EPA increased the allowance for models supporting 45 W or greater USB-C Power
Delivery and specified that only models supporting 45 W or greater USB-C Power
Delivery shall receive the USB-C allowance.
1

Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 of 31 March 2015 amending Annex II toDirective 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the list ofrestricted substances, effective 2019.

•••

EPA added the definition of Power Delivery based on the USB Power Delivery
Specification.
EPA clarified that the tested Color Gamut as a continuous percentage of CIE LUV shallbe used to calculate the Enhanced Performance Displays allowance.
EPA replaced the two separate HDR allowances (EH600 and EH1000) with a single HDR
allowance (EHDR) with two tiers corresponding to HDR 600 and HDR 1000 level
performance, respectively. This update does not change the content of the HDR
allowance but rather clarifies that only one allowance shall be allotted for HDR capability
depending on the performance level.

Regarding stakeholder requests for further easing of the maximum Total Energy Consumption
requirements and the EPD allowance, EPA determined that doing so would: compromise
national savings delivered by the specification; reduce the specification’s effectiveness indifferentiating more efficient products; and disproportionately recognize models with certainfeatures and select sizes. In order to fairly differentiate top-performing models of various sizes
and features, EPA has not made the changes requested in these areas. Similarly, EPA lacked
sufficient data to warrant revising the allowance for curved Displays. Throughout thisspecification development process, EPA considered comments and data and adjusted thecriteria where warranted. A wide range of models from all major manufacturers are able to meetthe proposed requirements, ensuring a good selection of certified models for purchasers.
Timeline and Next StepsEPA shares partners’ desire for a smooth transition from one ENERGY STAR specification tothe next, so that consumers can expect ENERGY STAR labeled products to fully meet the latest
requirements upon their effective date. With this in mind, EPA has established the following
timeline:•••

Effective immediately, manufacturers may elect to have their Certification Body (CB)certify their eligible products to the Version 8.0 requirements.
As of September 16, 2019, CBs will be instructed to stop certifying new productsubmittals to Version 7.1. Note, however, that existing certifications will remain valid for
purposes of ENERGY STAR qualification until January 28, 2020.
Any display manufactured as of January 28, 2020, must meet Version 8.0 requirements
to bear the ENERGY STAR mark. All certifications of products to the Version 7.1
specification will be invalid for purposes of ENERGY STAR qualification and the productfinder will only include models certified to Version 8.0.

ENERGY STAR partnership as a manufacturer is limited to organizations that own and/or
license a brand name under which they sell eligible products in the United States and/orCanada. Partnership is not available to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that do notsell directly to consumers or end users. OEMs may certify products on behalf of the ENERGYSTAR brand owners/licensees; however, the brand owner must be the ENERGY STAR partner
associated directly with the certified product models, since only partners are authorized to use
the ENERGY STAR certification mark.
EPA thanks stakeholders who provided feedback during the specification revision process andlooks forward to working with you as you certify and market your energy-efficient displays.
Please direct any questions regarding the specification and its timeline to James Kwon at EPA,Kwon.James@epa.gov or (202) 564-8538 or Théo Keeley-LeClaire at ICF, Theo.KeeleyLeClaire@icf.com or (571) 373-5471. Questions regarding the test method can be directed toJeremy Dommu, U.S. Department of Energy, Jeremy.Dommu@ee.doe.gov, or (202) 586-9870.
For any other Displays-related questions, please contact displays@energystar.gov.
Thank you for your continued support of the ENERGY STAR program.

Sincerely,James Kwon, Product Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ENERGY STAR for Consumer Electronics

Enclosures:Final Version 8.0 Displays Program Requirements
Displays Final Draft Version 8.0 Comment Response Document
Displays Final Version 8.0 Dataset