From 9 May 2025 the EU has enforced Regulation (EU) 2023/826 on ecodesign requirements for off mode, standby mode and networked standby power consumption of household and office electrical and electronic equipment. Published on 18 April 2023, the regulation limits the environmental impact of equipment placed on the EU market through energy efficiency rules and repeals earlier measures including Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008.

Core content

Power limits:

- from 2025, standby or off mode power must not exceed 0.5 W; where standby mode displays status or information, it must not exceed 0.8 W;

- from 2027, standby power remains at 0.5 W, off mode falls to 0.3 W, standby with display remains at 0.8 W, and networked standby limits range from 2 W to 7 W depending on the product.

Scope and exclusions:

- the rules apply to household and office electrical and electronic equipment rated at 250 V or less;

- computers and servers (covered by Regulation (EU) No 617/2013) and washing machines and tumble dryers (covered by Regulation (EU) 2019/2023) are explicitly excluded, and the exemption for low voltage external power supplies in the earlier rules is removed.

EU objectives

The European Commission estimates that the updated requirements will save an additional 4 TWh of energy a year by 2030 and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1.36 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Products that do not comply may not be placed on the EU market, which will push companies to optimise energy efficiency, move the industry towards greener products and help consumers choose sustainable options.