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Bye bye standby: EU Commission declares war on standby losses
On July 7, delegates of the EU member states and European Commission (EC) endorsed a proposal for a regulation reducing so-called standby power consumption in household and office products. Once approved by the EU Parliament, the new regulations on electronic devices will take effect as of 2010. The EC Regulation will also be effective in all 27 EU Member States immediately. As a result of the planned measures, a reduction of unnecessary electricity loss amounting to 35 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) per year throughout Europe can be expected by 2020. This volume represents a savings of 14 million tonnes of the ozone-depleting gas carbon dioxide (CO2), and the equivalent of about 9 large-scale power plants with a 800-megawatt output capacity. Dr. Thomas Holzmann, Vice President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), said, ”The proposal for an EU regulation to limit standby losses in electrical and electronic equipment is an important step in the right direction. Its adoption will make a real contribution to climate protection efforts.” read more
