lobally there are a plethora of energy efficiency regulations for almost anything that consumes energy. These regulations cover both operating mode efficiency as well as standby power consumption. Some of these energy efficiency regulations are mandatory and some such as Energy Star in the U.S. are voluntary and more marketing than regulatory in nature. And while there are challenges in meeting regulatory requirements in many regions, the European regulations are possibly the strictest in the world.

In Europe there are newer, updated regulations for energy efficiency targeting consumer white goods which we could see adopted as best practices globally. The new regulations also include changes in the labeling for appliances. In many cases, the product ratings used on labels have been simplified. The main purpose of these labeling changes is to allow consumers to make better purchasing decisions. Ultimately, the goal of these changes in energy efficiency and labeling requirements is to achieve energy efficiency objectives for the region.

Specifically, there is a mandate from the European Commission (EC) for the EU to achieve an improvement of 32.5% over 2018 energy consumption by the year 2030. The regulations are to reduce energy used in refrigerator products, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, TVs and monitors, and lighting products.

These new European standards impose energy efficiency regulations on a product's standby, idle, and off modes of operation. Also there are new levels of energy consumption in the use mode. This is a complex calculation given in the details of each regulation.  

Many of the appliances have motors, which have raised concerns not only about their energy consumption but also regarding the noise they produce. As a result, the new EU regulations also contain emissions levels for audible noise. These noise limits may require the use of brushless dc motors (also known as electronically commutated motors or ECMs) to reduce the noise and increase energy efficiency in the operating mode.

This article presents highlights of Power Integrations' upcoming webinar "EU Ecodesign and Energy Labeling Directives".

These changes in EU appliance regulations are the subject of an upcoming webinar by Power Integrations (PI) on "EU Ecodesign and Energy Labeling Directives," which will be presented by PI's David Chen on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 9:00 AM U.S. Pacific time (1600 UTC). This article highlights some of the key regulatory changes to be discussed in this webinar. To learn more, you can register for the webinar at PI's events page.

We would like to thank Power Integrations for sharing information from their webinar with How2Power Today in advance of the broadcast and for David Chen's input for this article. In addition, we'd also like to thank PI for the resources they have provided in the form of a free database and for their support of the PSMA Energy Efficiency database. 

Label Reform

Under the emerging regulatory changes, the label on each of the appliance products changes and there are new requirements for each product. For example, the labeling required in the old (EC) no 642/2009 and (EU) 1062/2010, which apply to TVs and monitors, changes in the new regulation. While the existing product ratings assign A, A+, A++, and A+++, the new rating system goes from A through G (more on this in the section on Displays).

Refrigeration Appliances

In this product category, the current regulation is (EU) 1060/2010, which offers product ratings from A+++ (most efficient) to G (least efficient). These ratings take into account energy consumption, storage volume, and a freezer compartment. In contrast, the newer standard (EU) 2019/2016 has a label with ratings ranging from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). There is also a new sound emissions requirement which governs noise produced by the compressor for cooling.

The most effective means of energy savings is to keep ice from forming around the cooling coils. The removal of this ice is called a defrost cycle. This is described in the new standard.

Dishwashers

The older regulation (EU) 1059/2010 has been replaced by (EU) 2019/2017. This new regulation takes into account standby energy, idle energy, and operating energy. The label for the product has changed with added icons to help the consumer to make an informed decision about energy use and acoustic noise emissions.

This regulation has a similar rating scale as the refrigerators, ranging from A to G. In addition, there's a figure of merit for the product's efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) is a ratio of two numbers, the ECO Program Energy Consumption (EPEC, measured in kWh/cycle) divided by the Standard Program Energy Consumption (SPEC, also measured in kWh/cycle):

Acoustic noise emission is one of the important consumer ratings. This requires the use of sound insulation and the use of an ECM.

Washing Machines

The current regulation (EU) 1061/2010 has been replaced with (EU) 2019/2014. Like the above appliances, the rating system goes from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). The new rating is defined by the following equation:

where EW is the weighted energy consumption (kWh/cycle) and SCEW is the standard cycle energy consumption (kWh/cycle), and these terms are defined as:

where c is the rated capacity.

The new standard defines water consumption along with how well the water is removed from the clothes in the last spin cycle. This is important, as it affects the energy used for drying clothes. 

Displays

The European Union will lump TV sets and monitors together in the new regulation. 

The current regulation (EU) 1062/2010 for televisions sets forth the following conditions:

• Labels scale from A+++ (most efficient) to D (least efficient).
• Screen size is shown, but not resolution or high dynamic range (HDR).
• Annual energy use shown on the label assumes the television is turned on for four hours/day, every day of the year.
• It does not apply to computer monitors or to signage displays.

The new regulation (EU) 2019/2013 for electronic displays (TVs and monitors) imposes the following changes:

• This regulation becomes effective on March 1, 2021, repealing the current regulation.
• Labels are re-scaled from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient), with a lowering of the maximum power consumption limits (i.e. the new limits are more stringent).
• New and old classes are not comparable, as the new scaling system is improved and better takes into account the screen area.
• New labels will also show the efficiency of the product in HDR as well as information on the diagonal size of the display and the resolution.

Under the new regulation for electronic displays, there is a new energy efficiency calculation:

where A represents the viewing surface area in dm2, Pmeasured is the measured power in the on-mode in watts in the normal configuration and corr1 is a correction factor set as indicated in Table 3 (in the regulation).

The new label has the following format:

Figure. New label format for (EU) 2019/2013 for electronic displays.

Lighting Products

Lighting is a major user of energy. In many cases, LEDs have replaced incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lamps. The LED luminaire is a complete electric light fixture that distributes, filters and transforms light from one or more light sources to an open room or wall.
Many of these newer fixtures do not have replacement parts like the lamp or standard Edison A lamp. The fixture is complete with no replacement parts internal.

The current regulation (EU) 874/2012 for lighting products imposes the following conditions:

• Ratings range from A++ (most efficient) to E (least efficient).
• Luminaires have labels showing what lamps are suitable for use.

Under the new regulation (EU) 2019/2015 for light sources, the following changes take effect:

• As of 25 December 2019, labeling of luminaires is no longer required.
• This regulation goes into effect 1 September 2021, repealing the current regulation.
• Labels are re-scaled from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).
• Labels will show energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 1000 hrs and include a QR-code link to more information in an online database.

Summary

The following is a list of the EU regulations for appliances.

• (EU) 2019/2013    Electronic displays including TV and monitors
• (EU) 2019/2014    Washing Machines
• (EU) 2019/2015    Lighting
• (EU) 2019/2016    Refrigerators
• (EU) 2019/2017    Dishwashers

There are many details in each of the regulations and a Google search on each one will lead you to more-detailed information. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide the complete information on these requirements. However the two best practical resources on this subject are PI's Energy Efficiency Resources page (https://ac-dc.power.com/green-room/energy-efficiency-resources/) and the PSMA's Energy Efficiency database (https://www.psma.com/technical-forums/energy-management/database).

Many of the appliance types discussed above have standby power supplies. The new appliance regulations impose limits on the energy consumption in the standby, idle, and off modes. Therefore, it is in the best interest of engineers developing products in these markets to become aware of these regulations before the design phase to make sure the product development will meet or exceed the target requirements so that the product can be viable for sale in Europe and elsewhere. This along with EMC, safety and materials declarations requirements constitute most of what products will have to meet to be marketable.

Kevin Parmenter Director of Applications Engineering Taiwan Semiconductor America

Jim Spangler President Spangler Prototype Inc. (SPI)

Editor's Note: This article was first published in the May 2020 issue of  How2Power Today
( http://www.how2power.com/newsletters/index.php ).

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