Last April, I wrote about attending the Ecodesign Directive’s Networked Standby (Lot 26) stakeholder meeting in Brussels, focusing on the energy wasted by network-enabled products (see: Can One Size Fit All With Networked Standby Power Regulation?). Lot 26 is very interesting because: (1) the power consumed by these products while idle will grow rapidly unless addressed; (2) a resulting standard would likely be horizontal, affecting a wide range of products; and (3) the Ecodesign Directive is the only program in the world addressing this issue. Apparently the EC is serious about tackling it; a working document was recently circulated in preparation for a September Consultants Forum, the next step towards publishing the standard.
A key issue in developing this horizontal spec is that different products may require different reactivation times (i.e., the time required for the product to resume its main function after being remotely triggered out of standby). The faster the reactivation time, the more components may need to be powered; therefore, higher power consumption would be required by the product. To address this, the proposal defines two levels of network availability:
- High network availability (HiNA) with a quick reactivation time <1 second
- Low network availability (LoNA) with a slow reactivation time ≥1 second
When a product is not providing its main function, it must switch into a lower power network standby mode. This feature must be the default as shipped. The table below shows the proposed maximum power consumption allowed for each network availability level.
| Network Availability | Network Standby ModePower Consumption (W)Tier 1 (1/1/2014) | Network Standby ModePower Consumption (W)Tier 2 (1/1/2016) |
|---|---|---|
| HiNA | 12 | 8 |
| LoNA | 4 | 2 |
Table 1. Proposed Tier 1 and Tier 2 network standby power level limits
The plan is to amend the current horizontal standby power regulation, EC 1275/2008, to include new network standby requirements. Networked-enabled products will need to meet both the current and new requirements. It’s anticipated that the amended standard will be approved in mid-2012.
Stay tuned to my blog for updates as the approval process continues. For a copy of the Working Document to amend Regulation EC 1275/2008, click here.
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