DOE updates energy conservation standards for external power supplies
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register final rule prescribing new energy conservation standards for external power supplies (February 3, 2014). This new standard applies to all direct operation External Power Supplies and includes, in addition to Class A power supplies previously covered by 2007 standards, power supplies that have not previously been subject to DOE regulations, such as multiple-voltage EPSs, EPSs with nameplate output power greater than 250 watts, and some EPSs that charge the battery of a product that is fully or primarily motor operated. Compliance with these standards will go into effect two years after publication in the Federal Register.
The Building Technologies Office (BTO) implements minimum energy conservation standards for more than 50 categories of appliances and equipment. As a result of these standards, energy users saved about $40 billion on their utility bills in 2010. Since 2009, 18 new or updated standards have been issued, which will help increase annual savings by more than 50 percent over the next decade. By 2030, cumulative operating cost savings from all standards will reach $1.7 trillion, with a reduction of 6.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 billion automobiles. Products covered by standards represent about 90% of home energy use, 60% of commercial building use, and 29% of industrial energy use.
