Ecodesign of household and office equipment
New Regulation (EU) 2023/826 of 17 April 2023 establishes ecodesign requirements for off-mode, standby mode, and networked standby energy consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment, pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. This regulation will replace Commission Regulations (EC) 1275/2008 and (EC) 107/2009, effective from 9 May 2025.
Extended scope
Regulation (EU) 2023/826, along with its predecessor, stipulates that products must be energy-dependent and designed for a nominal voltage rating of up to 250 V.
However, Regulation (EC) 1275/2008 introduced an additional requirement, stating that these devices must be marketed as a single functional unit intended for end-users and listed in Annex I, even when marketed for non-household or non-office use.
In contrast, Regulation (EU) 2023/826, as clarified in Recital (8), specifies that “Only household and office appliances intended for use in the home should be covered by this Regulation.” Furthermore, Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2023/826 expands the list of products in Annex I to include motor-operated adjustable furniture and motor-operated building elements.
Inclusion of external power supplies
Regulation (EU) 2023/826 repeals Regulation (EC) 1275/2008.
Under the previous regulation, devices intended for use with an external low-voltage power supply were outside its scope. The criterion "made commercially available as a single functional unit" in (EC) 1275/2008 implied that only products with an internal power supply, directly connectable to the mains, were covered. Article 1 of Regulation (EC) 1275/2008 clarifies that the regulation does not apply to electrical and electronic household and office equipment placed on the market with a low voltage external power supply to function as intended.
This exclusion has now been eliminated under the new regulation. Recital (11) states that products with external low-voltage power supplies should be included in the scope of this Regulation to achieve further energy savings and ensure a level playing field for manufacturers. For devices requiring an external power supply but placed on the market without one, the manufacturer, importer, or authorised representative must provide information about the technical characteristics of the compatible external power supply model.
Impact on battery powered devices
Exclusively battery powered - „Battery powered" means that a product is powered solely by DC from an internal source and is not directly or indirectly connected to the power grid – not even through a power supply or charging device.
Battery powered with additional operation or charging, external power supply excluded - Regulation (EU) 2023/826 applies when battery powered devices have a charging circuit that must be connected to the power grid for operation or charging. Portable, battery-powered products with a charging circuit are subject to the regulation if they depend on mains power. Additionally, products with a charging circuit that draws power from the grid in off or standby mode – even if the battery is not being charged – are also covered by the regulation.
Battery powered with additional operation or charging, external power supply included - While Regulation (EC) 1275/2008 excluded devices with an external power supply, these are now explicitly included in Regulation (EU) 2023/826 if they are designed to be connected to the power grid – even if this happens indirectly through an external power supply.
If an external power supply (EPS) is included in the package, both Regulation (EU) 2023/826 and Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 apply, as the latter sets specific ecodesign requirements for external power supplies.
Key differences in No-Load and Off-Mode conditions
Both Regulations (EU) 2019/1782 and (EU) 2023/826 are relevant for electrical and electronic household and office equipment sold together with an external power supply because no-load, off-mode, and standby mode are not the same.
The no-load condition (EN 50563) applies to external power supplies that are connected to the mains but not to a device, measuring only the standby consumption of the power supply itself.
Off mode (EN 50564) applies to electrical and electronic household and office equipment that is plugged in but not performing any active function, except for minimal features like status indicators or EMC compliance.
Additionally, standby mode, which is also subject to measurement, refers to equipment that is connected to the mains and depends on energy input from the grid to provide functions like reactivation or status display, but is not actively performing its main function.
Some definitions
‘Standby mode’ means a condition where the equipment is connected to the mains power source, depends on energy input from the mains power source to work as intended, and provides only one or more of the following functions, which may persist for an indefinite time: (a) reactivation function; (b) reactivation function and only an indication of enabled reactivation function; (c) information or status display.
‘Reactivation function’ means a function that via a remote switch, a remote control, an internal sensor, or timer provides a switch from standby mode to another mode, including active mode, providing additional functions.
‘Main function’ means a function delivering the main service(s) for which the equipment is designed, tested, and marketed, and which corresponds to the intended use of the equipment.
‘Information or status display’ means a continuous function providing information or indicating the status of the equipment on a display, including clocks. A simple light indicator is not considered a status display.
‘Active mode’ means a condition in which the equipment is connected to the mains power source and at least one of the main functions has been activated.
‘Off mode’ means a condition in which the equipment is connected to the mains power source and is not providing any function, or it is in a condition providing only: (a) an indication of off mode condition; (b) functionalities intended to ensure electromagnetic compatibility under Directive 2014/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council.
References
Regulation (EU) 2023/826 of 17 April 2023 on ecodesign requirements for off-mode, standby mode, and networked standby energy consumption.
Regulation (EC) 1275/2008 of 17 December 2008 on standby and off-mode electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment.
Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 of 1 October 2019 on ecodesign requirements for external power supplies.
Directive 2009/125/EC establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products.
ProductIPedia article Ecodesign external power supplies about EU ecodesign framework (Directive 2009/125/EC) including Regulations (EC) 1275/2008, (EC) 278/2009, and (EU) 2019/1782, setting energy consumption requirements for household and office equipment, covering standby, off-mode, and no-load conditions.
