ICT Code of Conduct - Efficiency of External Power Supplies

This Code of Conduct has been prepared by the European Commission, following the discussions and decisions of the ad-hoc working group composed by independent experts, Member States representatives and representatives of industry.

Power supplies contribute substantially to the electricity consumption of households in Europe. The Study on Miscellaneous Standby Power Consumption of Household Equipment (Molinder, 1997) calculated an increase in standby losses, including no-load losses for wall packs and chargers from about 8 TWh in 1996 to about 14 TWh in 2006 (Business as Usual scenario). With actions resulting from this Code of Conduct this increase can be counterbalanced, resulting in savings of a maximum of 5 TWh per year from 2010, this is equivalent to a total saving of 500 Million EURO per year. In addition, energy losses occur also under load operation because the power conversion efficiency is smaller than one. These losses can be reduced by increasing the power conversion efficiency, resulting in energy savings of the same order of magnitude (1 to 5 TWh).

Further savings can be expected from the application of efficient power supplies in electronics appliances, such as TVs, VCRs, microwave ovens, etc.

When addressing efficiency of power supplies, also power quality should be taken into account. Although applying electronics in power supplies can increase efficiency and lower no load losses, it should not adversely effect the power quality.

List of Participants

	Alcatel-Lucent (mobile telephones)
	Lenovo Group Ltd. (power supplies)
	Salcomp Oy (AC adapter and battery chargers for mobile telephone and IT equipment)
	Samsung (mobile telephones)