Memo: Commission’s proposals to reduce standby electric power consumption

This draft Commission Regulation on Standby is one of the priorities of the Commission Action Plan on Energy Efficiency. The measure is based on the Ecodesign Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council which gave a mandate to the Commission to set Ecodesign requirements for energy-using products. Ecodesign requirements are environmental performance levels that products covered by the measure need to meet if they are to be put on the EU market (regardless of where they are produced). The Ecodesign Framework Directive 2005/32/EC lists products which have been identified by the Council and the European Parliament as priority areas, including 'a separate implementing measure reducing stand-by losses for a group of products'.