The global regulatory environment surrounding the legislation of external power supply efficiency and no-load power draw has rapidly evolved over the past decade since the California Energy Commission (CEC) implemented the first mandatory standard in 2004. With the publication in 2014 of a new set of requirements by the United States Department of Energy (DoE) that went into effect in February 2016, the landscape has changed again as regulators further reduce the amount of energy that may be consumed by external power adapters.
Mandating higher average efficiencies in external power supplies has undoubtedly had a real impact on global power consumption. However, with the benefit of a reduced draw on the power grid come challenges and uncertainties for the electronics industry as it tries to keep up with this dynamic regulatory environment.
The next round of legislation is expected to come from Europe, as the current voluntary Code of Conduct (CoC) Tier 1 and Tier 2 standards are under review by the European Union to become compulsory as Ecodesign rules, with proposed implementation dates of January 2017 and January 2018 respectively.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) who design external power supplies into their products must continue to monitor the latest regulations to ensure that they are in compliance in each region where their product is sold. The goal of this paper is to provide an up-to-date summary of the most current regulations worldwide.
Advertisement
Learn more about CUI Inc
