CUI Announce 'Efficiency Standards For External Power Supplies' Whitepaper

Mandating higher average efficiencies in external power supplies has undoubtedly had a real impact on global power consumption. However, with the benefit of a reduced draw on the power grid come challenges and uncertainties for the electronics industry as it tries to keep up with this dynamic regulatory environment.

Original Equipment Manufacturers who design external power supplies into their products must continue to monitor the latest regulations to ensure that they are in compliance in each region their product is sold. The goal of this article is to provide an up to date summary of the most current regulations worldwide.

External Power Supply Regulations – A Brief History

In the early 90’s, it was estimated that there were more than one billion external power supplies active in the United States alone. The effi ciency of these power supplies, mainly utilizing linear technology, could be as low as 50% and still draw power when the application was turned off or not even connected to the power supply (referred to as “no-load” condition). Experts calculated that without efforts to increase effi ciencies and reduce “no-load” power consumption, external power supplies would account for around 30% of total energy consumption in less than 20 years.

As early as 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency started a voluntary program to promote energy effi ciency and reduce pollution which eventually became the Energy Star program. However, it wasn’t until 2004 that the first mandatory regulation dictating effi ciency and no-load power draw minimums was put in place. The following section traces the path from the CEC’s 2004 regulation up to the current standards that are in place today.