(1)

Pursuant to Article 15 of Directive 2009/125/EC, the Commission is to set ecodesign requirements for energy-related products which account for significant volumes of sales and trade in the Union and have a significant environmental impact and present significant potential for improvement through design in terms of their environmental impact, without entailing excessive costs.

(2)

The Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 (2), which was drawn up by the Commission in accordance with Article 16(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC, sets out the working priorities under the ecodesign and energy labelling framework for the years 2022 to 2024. External Power Supplies (EPS) are one of the prioritised product groups listed in the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024.

(3)

The measures envisaged by the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 have the potential to deliver an estimated total annual final energy savings in excess of 170 TWh in 2030. This is equivalent to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 24 million tonnes a year in 2030.

(4)

Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 (3) established ecodesign requirements for EPS. Its Article 7 requires the Commission to review the Regulation in the light of technological progress.

(5)

Pursuant to Article 79, point 1(a)(i), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), the review of Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 shall be completed under the framework of Directive 2009/125/EC.

(6)

The Commission carried out a review and analysed the technical, environmental and economic aspects of EPS. The review was carried out in close cooperation with stakeholders and interested parties from the Union and third countries. The results of the review were made public and presented to the Consultation Forum established in accordance with Article 18 of Directive 2009/125/EC.

(7)

The review confirms that EPS are expected to continue being sold in large numbers. The environmental aspects of EPS identified as significant for the purposes of Article 15 of Directive 2009/125/EC, are the consumption of energy during the use phase, the generation of waste at the end of life, and emissions to air during the production and use phases.

(8)

Gross annual energy consumption by EPS subject to Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 is estimated at 69 PJ/year in 2020. In a business-as-usual scenario, that consumption is expected to increase to 75 PJ/year in 2030 and 84 PJ/year in 2040 as a result of an increase in the number of EPS.

(9)

The Union circular economy action plan (5) and the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 underline the importance of using the ecodesign framework to support the move towards a more resource-efficient and circular economy. It is estimated that the service lifetime of EPS is limited by the shorter lives of the end-use products they power. This Regulation should therefore lay down appropriate requirements that will contribute to achieving circular economy objectives, in particular making as many EPS used with one or more separate consumer products interoperable as is feasible.

(10)

The review referred to in recital 5 indicates that there is around a 5 percentage points range in active mode efficiency of EPS. There is also a range of efficiency at 10 % load. Those ranges mean that the minimum threshold for energy efficiency could be raised and that a minimum efficiency at 10 % load could be introduced, taking the life cycle cost into account. If existing ecodesign requirements are updated to remove EPS with low energy efficiency performance from the market, electricity savings of about 0,7 TWh/year could potentially be achieved by 2035.

(11)

It is appropriate to include in the scope of this Regulation wireless chargers, wireless charging pads and battery chargers for portable batteries of general use as defined in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6), so that their power supply component is normally externalised and therefore covered by the efficiency and interoperability requirements. Wireless chargers and wireless charging pads should also be subject to standby consumption limits. In addition, USB Type-C cables should be subject to ecodesign requirements to ensure that their energy losses remain within the limits set by relevant USB standards and that they are marked on their connectors to inform consumers of the maximum power supported.

(12)

The EPS definition should no longer be restricted to those devices with an output power lower than 250 W which are used with a limited subset of household and office products. Instead, it should be aligned with international standards and regulations, broadening the scope of the Regulation for example in relation to EPS powering a wider range of household and office products, including those with higher power. It should also clarify that EPS sold as stand-alone products are subject to ecodesign requirements.

(13)

Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (7) requires USB Type-C as the common charging receptacle for specific categories of radio equipment including smartphones, tablets or laptops. This has determined that EPS powering these products ‘de facto’ become USB Type-C EPS. It is appropriate to set a direct and explicit requirement to underpin this relationship, and also to extend this requirement to EPS powering a broader range of products, beyond those covered by the Directive 2014/53/EU in order to maximise interoperability.

(14)

Information on the relevant interoperability specifications should be provided by means of a ‘Common Charger’ logo. This should be affixed to corresponding EPS to inform consumers that they are interoperable and that the same EPS can be used for a number of different devices or different generations of the same device. That would reduce the number of EPS required and facilitate their replacement, thus improving the environmental aspects of the product. The ‘Common Charger’ logo on EPS should complement the label required for powered products under the Directive 2014/53/EU which provides the end-user with the necessary information to select a suitable EPS.

(15)

Interoperable EPS should also be marked at their output ports with an indication of the maximum power supported and should not be fitted with hard-wired Type-C cables to avoid premature disposal of EPS due to cable damage.

(16)

EPS used for telecommunication applications, such as wireless routers, are normally designed to have a high level of surge protection that should allow them to function also after, for example, a lightning event. Interoperable EPS should be fitted with such protection to be able to be used with those applications and to have in general an improved resistibility to surge events.

(17)

Certain EPS should be excluded from the interoperability aspects of this Regulation – in particular for safety reasons – where specific requirements based on sectoral legislation exist (for example for EPS used in wet conditions, EPS for products covered by other specific requirements such as toys, and EPS subject to specific operating conditions such as high levels of electrostatic discharge). In addition, EPS for products permanently installed in fixed building locations, like for example electric roller blinds, wireless internet access points on walls or ceilings, or wall-mounted control panels, should also be exempt from the interoperability requirements due to possible constraints regarding the installation of their power supply cables.

(18)

Products that are functionally integrated and designed to be used solely with means of transport for persons or goods are excluded from the scope of the ecodesign framework legislation. Therefore, it is relevant to explicitly mention that the ecodesign requirements set under this Regulation should not apply to EPS designed to be used only with means of transport for persons or goods. However, when reviewing this Regulation under the framework of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the appropriateness of setting requirements also for EPS used with light means of transport such as e-bikes and e-scooters should be assessed.

(19)

The relevant product parameters should be measured using reliable, accurate and reproducible methods. These methods should be updated, taking into account recognised state-of-the-art measurement methods, including, where available, harmonised standards adopted by the European standardisation organisations listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8).

(20)

EPS are subject to increasing complexity, in particular regarding adaptive devices with multiple voltages available at the same port, and devices with multiple such ports. Test procedures should be updated accordingly and aligned with international state of the art methods, in particular and to the extent feasible with the test procedure of the Department of Energy of the United States of America, laid down in Appendix Z to Subpart B of Part 430 of Title 10, Chapter II, Subchapter D of the Code of Federal Regulations, 87 FR 51221, in its version applicable on 19 August 2022. This test procedure should be therefore included in this Regulation as a transitional test method to be used until corresponding harmonised standards become available.

(21)

USB Type-C EPS are interoperable and can be used with USB cables with different properties that affect their overall energy efficiency to a varying extent. It is therefore important to ensure a level playing field for these EPS by considering a standardised and commonly used test cable with fixed parameters. Applying a correction factor to the results of the testing performed without a cable eliminates the need for such a physical USB cable at the test and reduces measurement uncertainty.

(22)

To provide reliable user information and not affect the operation of the powered consumer product, an EPS in active mode should be able to continuously supply the specified nameplate output current without a significant drop in the corresponding nameplate output voltage.

(23)

Certain EPS denoted as ‘dynamic power supplies’ may be designed to be able to supply a maximum power only for a short period of time in the order of several minutes, followed by a lower continuous power, denoted also as guaranteed power. Such an EPS should be tested at conditions based only on the guaranteed power and the information requirements should refer to the guaranteed power, in particular as the EPS may also be used continuously.

(24)

Interoperability requirements should take into account established industrial conventions and the terminology used in the following families of standards: USB-PD Specification, USB Cable and Connector Specification, ITU-T Recommendations K.21 and K.44, EN IEC 55035, IEC 60335-1, IEC 61140 and EN 50160.

(25)

In accordance with Article 8(2) of Directive 2009/125/EC, this Regulation should specify the applicable conformity assessment procedures.

(26)

To facilitate compliance checks, manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives should provide information in the technical documentation referred to in Annexes IV and V to Directive 2009/125/EC in so far as that such information relates to the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

(27)

In accordance with Part 3, point 2, of Annex I to Directive 2009/125/EC, indicative benchmarks for best available technologies should be identified in order to make information on the life-cycle environmental performance of products subject to this Regulation widely available and easily accessible.

(28)

This Regulation should be reviewed to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of its provisions in achieving its goals. The timing of the review should be sufficient to allow all provisions to be implemented and produce an effect on the market while taking account of the evolution of relevant technology.

(29)

Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 should be repealed with effect from 14 December 2028, with the exception of its Annexes I, II and III that should remain in application for five years after the date of application of this Regulation. This allows temporarily the placing on the market of spare part EPS which enable the powered device placed on the market before the entry into application of this Regulation to continue to be used. The spare part EPS should in this case comply with the ecodesign requirements applicable at the time of placing on the market of the original EPS. In addition, on grounds of technological novelty, placing on the market of USB-PD EPS with an extended power range higher than 100 W, which comply with the energy efficiency requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 instead of the energy efficiency requirements of this Regulation, should also be possible for a period of two years after the date of application of this Regulation.

(30)

To facilitate an earlier implementation of the measures of this Regulation and reduce the administrative burden of early adopters, an EPS compliant with the requirements of this Regulation and placed on the market after the date of its entry into force and before its entry into application should automatically be considered compliant with Regulation (EU) 2019/1782.

(31)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 19(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC,

(1)

‘external power supply’ (EPS) means a product which is neither a battery charger nor a wireless charger and meets all the following criteria:

(2)

‘battery’ means a battery as defined in Article 3(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542;

(3)

‘battery charger’ means a consumer product that is primarily used to charge the batteries of consumer products, and that contains dedicated circuitry to regulate the charging current and voltage;

(4)

‘portable battery of general use’ means a type of battery as defined in Article 3(1), point (10) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542;

(5)

‘wireless charger’ means a consumer product that meets all of the following criteria:

(6)

‘wireless charging pad’ means a consumer product that meets the criteria laid down in letters (a), (c), (d) and (e) of point (5) and does not contain a power supply integrated into the same unit;

(7)

‘USB Type-C cable’ means a cable assembly with USB Type-C plugs and overmoulds at both ends, with a power rating of either 60 W or 240 W, that meets the requirements laid down in the ‘Universal Serial Bus Type-C® Cable and Connector Specification, Release 2.4, October 2024’, issued by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group and the Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum (USB-IF);

(8)

‘USB Type-C plug’ means a plug that meets the requirements laid down in the ‘Universal Serial Bus Type-C® Cable and Connector Specification, Release 2.4, October 2024’, issued by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group and the USB-IF;

(9)

‘separate control gear for low luminous flux light sources’ means a separate control gear as defined in Article 2, first paragraph, point (3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 whose light source does not fulfil the requirement laid down in point (1)(c) of the same paragraph, and has instead a luminous flux of less than 60 lumen;

(10)

‘mains’ means the standard EU electricity supply as specified in standard EN 50160:2022 ‘Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public electricity networks’;

(11)

‘output’ means a physical outlet of the EPS through which electrical power or data is provided to the load connected to it;

(12)

‘power output’ means any of the outputs of the EPS to which a load can be connected and from which power can be drawn, as opposed to signal connections used for communication through a data output;

(13)

‘consumer product’ means a product that operates or is designed to operate with electric energy, and is placed on the market, including in the context of providing a service, which is intended for consumers or is likely, under reasonably foreseeable conditions, to be used by consumers even if not intended for them;

(14)

‘hard-wired cable’ means a cable directly fixed to a product without any intermediate connector in such a way that it is not designed or intended to be detached by end-users;

(15)

‘nameplate output voltage’ means any output voltage of the EPS as provided on the EPS nameplate pursuant to point 5(a) of Annex II to this Regulation, or displayed in Table 7, ‘Product information’, pursuant to point 5(g) of the same Annex;

(16)

‘active mode’ means a condition in which the input of an EPS is connected to the mains power source and a power output is connected to a primary load that is in operation;

(17)

‘port’ means a physical, electrical and digital interface of the EPS for the supply of electrical power as well as exchange of data and control signals through a receptacle, and that has one corresponding power output;

(18)

‘nameplate output power’ (Pout) means any output power of the EPS as provided on the EPS nameplate pursuant to point 5(a) of Annex II to this Regulation, or displayed in Table 7, ‘Product information’, pursuant to point 5(g) of the same Annex;

(19)

‘low-voltage EPS’ means an EPS with a nameplate output voltage less than 6 V and a nameplate output current greater than or equal to 550 mA;

(20)

‘model identifier’ means the code, usually alphanumeric, which distinguishes a specific product model from other models with the same trade mark or the same manufacturer’s, importer’s or authorised representative’s name;

(21)

‘adaptive EPS’ means an AC-DC EPS that can alter the output voltage at one of its ports, denoted as ‘adaptive port’, during the active-mode on the basis of an established digital communication protocol with the end-use application without any user-triggered action;

(22)

‘nameplate output current’ means any output current of the EPS as displayed in Table 7, ‘Product information’, pursuant to point 5(g) of Annex II to this Regulation;

(23)

‘active mode efficiency’ means the ratio of the power supplied by an EPS in active mode to the input power required by the EPS;

(24)

‘receptacle’ means a component of the EPS with an opening to the exterior allowing a plug to be inserted into it and that provides an electro-mechanical connection between the plug and the EPS;

(25)

‘total maximum output power’ means the maximum power that can be supplied by any combination or subset of the power outputs of an EPS operated simultaneously;

(26)

‘USB power delivery (USB-PD) port’ means an adaptive EPS port that meets the requirements laid down in the ‘Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery Specification, Revision 3.2, Version 1.1, 2024-10’ and the ‘Universal Serial Bus Type-C® Cable and Connector Specification, Release 2.4, October 2024’ issued by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group and the USB-IF;

(27)

‘single-voltage EPS’ means an EPS able to convert AC power to only one output voltage at a time which is supplied through one or more power outputs;

(28)

‘declared values’ means the values provided by the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative for the stated, calculated or measured technical parameters in accordance with Article 4, for the verification of compliance by the Member State authorities;

(29)

‘Common Charger logo’ means a logo that meets the requirements set out in Annex III to this Regulation;

(30)

‘spare part EPS’ means an EPS which is not an interoperable EPS and is intended solely to replace an EPS placed on the market before 14 December 2028.

(a)

the scope of the Regulation and in particular the scope of the interoperability requirements;

(b)

the interoperability requirements in light of the evolution of adaptive power supplies;

(c)

the usage and effectiveness of the Common Charger logo;

(d)

the limit values of the energy efficiency requirements;

(e)

the tolerances permitted for setting the load currents;

(f)

the appropriateness of additional efficiency requirements considering power factor correction;

(g)

the appropriateness of setting up an EPS database with technical information;

(h)

the appropriateness of active mode energy efficiency requirements for wireless chargers and wireless charging pads;

(i)

whether part pairing is an element of concern for EPS, wireless chargers or wireless charging pads;

(j)

the appropriateness of resource efficiency requirements like for example repairability, dismantability or recyclability;

(k)

the appropriateness of additional information requirements concerning critical raw materials;

(l)

the appropriateness of durability and reliability requirements, for example considering the lifetime and the mean-time-between-failure.