New Efficiency Regulations for External Power Adapters; The Time to Act is Now

07/14/2015


New Efficiency Regulations for External Power Adapters; The Time to Act is Now

In this article published by Electronic Products, Jeff Schnabel, CUI's VP of Global Marketing, outlines the new Level VI efficiency regulations set to go into effect in February 2016. The article also highlights the implications the new law will have on any OEMs designing products with external ac-dc adapters for the US market.

The article begins:

"The efficiency and no-load power draw of external power supplies has been the subject of regulation for over a decade. Since the first mandatory standard was implemented in California in 2004, various regulatory bodies have led the way in defining ever-tighter requirements in an effort to reduce global power consumption.

Currently for global compliance an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) will need an external power supply that meets the Level V standard, which exceeds all previous regional requirements even though it is only enforced within the European Union. However from February 2016 a new set of requirements defined by the US Department of Energy (DOE) will take effect.

While these Level VI standards will only be mandatory in the US, any OEM wanting to supply product into the US should be taking action now to esure compliance."

Jeff Schnabel then discusses the birth of efficiency labeling, the move to Level VI efficiency along with the added financial and environmental benefits.

The article concludes, "New Level VI regulations due to become mandatory in the US in February 2016 will cause OEMs globally to specify Level VI compliant adapters for future products, and suitable adapters are already entering the market. If historical trends are any indication, it is expected that the European Union, Canada and Australia will soon follow suit with similar regulations.  The time to begin preparing for Level VI compliance is now."

Read the full article on electronicproducts.com

Learn more about the upcoming Level VI standards