New rules for external power supplies will enable household energy savings

A new EU Regulation on external power supplies aimed at making a range of household appliances more energy efficient - from laptops to electric toothbrushes – enters into force as of 1 April 2020 within the context of EU ecodesign measures. As a result, European consumers will be able to save on their household bills, help reach significant EU-wide energy savings and reduce emissions.

The new rules will make the external power supplies more efficient, aligning them to the highest standards worldwide. It is expected that electricity savings across the EU of over 4 TWh/year will be generated by 2030, enough to power the whole of Latvia for a month. This will result in avoiding greenhouse gas emission of more than 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year by the end of the decade.

External power supplies are power adaptors used to convert electricity from household power mains into lower voltages, and are very common in European households, with an average of ten per household and more than 2 billion in total in the EU. They are used to power products such as consumer electronics (smartphones, loudspeakers, sound systems, some televisions), ICT products (modems, routers, laptops, tablets, electronic displays), small kitchen appliances (blenders, juicers), and personal convenience products (shavers, electric toothbrushes).

The ecodesign regulation for external power supplies is part of a comprehensive package adopted by the European Commission last year. The package, consisting of 10 ecodesign and 6 energy labelling regulations, is expected to deliver a total of 167 TWh of final energy savings per year by 2030. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of Denmark. These savings correspond to a reduction of over 46 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

Related links

• Energy label and ecodesign