Europe 2020 Strategy for Energy Efficiency
As we are now a third of the way through 2020, a key question is whether the EU will meet its targets. The answer is ‘most of them’. While the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is expected to exceed the plan by 4% and renewable energy will reach 21%, the primary energy consumption target is projected to miss by approximately 4.9%. Consequently, the focus is now squarely on energy consumption as a serious missed target. The latest EC Regulation EU2019/1782, effective 1st April 2020, requires manufacturers of external power supplies to meet new no-load power consumption and averaged efficiency limits and to include energy efficiency information in product manuals to comply with CE marking regulations.
EU Energy Efficiency Limits for External AC/DC Power Supplies (Effective 1st April 2020)
No-Load Power Consumption:
|
High Voltage Output (≥6V) |
Single Low Voltage (<6V) |
Multiple Outputs |
| Pout ≤ 49W |
100 mW |
100 mW |
300 mW |
| Pout > 49W |
210 mW |
210 mW |
300 mW |
Averaged Efficiency:
| Output Power |
Four-point average Efficiency (25%, 50%, 75% and 100% load) |
| High Voltage Output (≥6V) |
Single Low Voltage (<6V) |
Multiple Outputs |
| ≤ 1W |
≤ 0.5 x Pout/1 W
+ 160 mW |
≤ 0.517 x Pout/1 W
+ 87 mW |
≤ 0.497 x Pout/1 W
+ 67 mW |
| >1W – ≤ 49 W |
≤ 0.071 x ln(Pout/1 W)
– 0.0014 x Pout/1 W
+ 670 mW |
≤ 0.071 x ln(Pout/1 W)
– 0.0014 x Pout/1 W
+ 670 mW |
≤ 0.075 x ln(Pout/1 W)
+ 561 mW |
| > 49 W |
≤ 880 mW |
≤ 870 mW |
≤ 860 mW |
EcoDesign, ErP Regulations, DoE VI, EC CoC, and Lot 6 Overview
The legislation requiring EU states to reduce energy consumption is the Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC). It mandates that Energy-related Products (ErP) be more efficient by phasing out inefficient designs and establishing strict new efficiency standards. For practical implementation, the Ecodesign Directive is divided into areas of related products called “Lots,” each focusing on product categories with high potential for energy savings.
Lot 6 addresses ventilation units, a key sector as ventilation, heating, and air conditioning account for roughly 15% of total EU energy consumption. Due to wide variations in ventilation system efficiencies, Lot 6 sets minimum performance requirements, implemented progressively each year. Within Lot 6, a provision applies to external power supply units in general, even if unrelated to ventilation systems. Lot 6 standby power consumption limits (applies only to external power supply units):
| Mode |
Old limit (2010) |
Limit (2013) |
Limit (2020) |
| Off Mode (no output) |
1 W |
500 mW |
100 mW |
| Standby (output on) |
1 W |
500 mW |
100 mW |
| Standby with display |
2 W |
1 W |
210 mW |
No regulations exist for internal (built-in) power supplies regarding standby consumption, but customers typically expect compliance with these standby limits. Currently, any power supply drawing less than 0.5W in standby (no-load power consumption) can claim conformity with Lot 6 or the ErP regulations. In addition to standby power limits, standards cover minimum average efficiencies at intermediate and full loads, currently listed under the European Code of Conduct (EU CoC on Energy Efficiency of External Power Supplies, Version 5). These requirements are voluntary but expected to integrate into the EcoDesign Directive.
The EU CoC energy efficiency limits differentiate basic voltage (output ≥6V) and low voltage (output <6V) supplies. Tier 1 is the current specification, harmonized with the DoE Level VI limits from the US Department of Energy. Efficiencies are measured at a fixed 10% load and averaged over four load points (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%). Tier 2 adds stricter limits for four-point and 10% load efficiencies, though power supplies over 250W and multiple-output units are exempt. The new Ecodesign limits are similar but not identical to voluntary CoC limits.
EU CoC Limits (Voluntary):
| Output Power |
No Load Power Consumption |
10 % Load |
Four point average Efficiency |
| Basic Voltage (≥6V) |
Low Voltage (<6V) |
Basic Voltage (≥6V) |
Low Voltage (<6V) |
| 0.3 W – ≤ 1 W |
≤ 100 mW |
≤ 0.5 x Pout
+ 64 mW |
≤ 0.5 x Pout |
≤ 0.5 x Pout
+ 160 mW |
≤ 0.517 x Pout
+ 87 mW |
| ≤ 75 mW |
≤ 0.5 x Pout
+ + 0.06 |
≤ 0.517 x Pout |
≤ 0.5 x Pout
+ 0.169 |
≤ 0.517 x Pout
+ 0.091 |
1 W –
≤ 49 W |
≤ 100 mW |
≤ 0.0626 x In(Pout)
+ 546 mW |
≤ 0.072 x In(Pout)
+ 500 mW |
≤ 0.071 x In(Pout)
- 0.0014 x Pout
+ 670 mW |
≤ 0.0843 x In(Pout)
- 0.0014 x Pout
+ 609 mW |
| ≤ 75 mW |
≤ 0.1 x [0.71 x In(Pout) - 0.0115 x Pout + 5.7] |
≤ 0.1 x [0.843 x In(Pout) - 0.0127 x Pout + 5.18] |
≤ 0.1 x [0.71 x In(Pout) - 0.0115 x Pout + 6.7] |
≤ 0.1 x [0.843 x In(Pout) - 0.011 x Pout + 6.09] |
| 49 W – ≤ 250 W |
≤ 210 mW |
≤ 790 mW |
≤ 780 mW |
≤ 880 mW |
≤ 870 mW |
| ≤ 150 mW |
≤ 0.79 |
≤ 0.78 |
≤ 0.89 |
≤ 0.88 |
| 250 W |
≤ 500 mW |
≤ 875 mW |
≤ 875 mW |
≤ 875 mW |
≤ 875 mW |
| N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
In practice, these energy efficiency limits are challenging but achievable for lower-power AC/DC power supplies. For higher-power units, meeting standby power limits economically often requires a secondary low-power auxiliary supply to independently enable or disable the main power stage (see the
RECOM RACM550 datasheet for an example).
How RECOM Supports High-Efficiency AC/DC Power Supplies
RECOM focuses on designing
efficient, compact and cost-effective AC/DC power supplies, whether external or PCB-mounted. While EcoDesign and EU CoC limits apply to external supplies, RECOM aims to meet or exceed these efficiency standards for built-in modules and considers stricter anticipated limits when designing new AC/DC products. Some low-power onboard units already achieve no-load power consumption as low as 75mW, conforming to the harshest Tier 2 limits.
For techniques to achieve minimal no-load power consumption, the
RECOM AC/DC Book of Knowledge includes a chapter on designing power supplies for optimal energy efficiency. An efficient power supply, external or onboard, is essential to comply with energy consumption regulations. Using pre-certified AC/DC power supplies does not eliminate the need for careful system design but simplifies, speeds, and reduces the cost of compliance.
