Why the industry group favors alignment
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is consulting on tighter limits for the electricity products use when switched off, on standby or waiting for a network signal. The proposals cover Great Britain; the EU regulation already applies in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
techUK says it has long supported alignment because manufacturers serve international markets. British retailers sell the same smart TVs, speakers and appliances designed for Europe, it argues, and many products on UK shelves already comply. The group disputes the suggestion that compliance makes appliances worse, saying consumers would already have noticed such changes.
Its central concern is the cost of diverging from EU standards. In techUK's assessment, separate British requirements could force manufacturers either to develop UK-specific models and pass the extra expense to buyers or to withdraw products from the market. It warns of higher prices, fewer choices and later access to new products.
Shared requirements also let manufacturers use a common product design, testing documentation and compliance process, techUK says. It argues that avoiding duplicate product lines is especially important for smaller businesses. The group presents alignment as a practical industry issue rather than a dispute over Brussels or net zero policy.
Lower power limits and broader coverage
Under the proposals, the maximum off-mode power consumption would fall to 0.3 W from 0.5 W. For standby products displaying information or status, the limit would drop to 0.8 W from 1.0 W. The allowance for standby that provides a reactivation function would remain 0.5 W.
DESNZ also proposes networked standby limits: 7.0 W for high network availability (HiNA) equipment and 2.0 W for other networked products.
Most equipment, including network-connected smart TVs and game consoles, would have to enter a low-power mode after 20 minutes without use. Coffee machines would follow separate schedules: five minutes for drip-filter models with insulated jugs, 40 minutes for those with non-insulated jugs and 30 minutes for other household coffee machines. Existing exceptions would remain where automatic power-down would be unsafe or inappropriate, including for medical devices, emergency equipment and some IT server products.
The rules would reach several categories previously excluded or exempt, including air fryers, coffee makers, smart plugs, robot vacuums and simple set-top boxes. Coverage would also extend to electrically adjustable furniture, such as adjustable desks and motorized beds, and motorized building elements, including blinds and electric shutters.
Other newly covered categories would include devices using low-voltage external power supplies, such as smart speakers and smart thermostats, and portable battery-powered products with recharging circuits, such as cordless electric toothbrushes.
Article 7 of the draft statutory instrument would prohibit manipulating test results through software, firmware or other design features. Manufacturers could not use features that recognize or react to testing to produce better measurements than the product delivers in everyday operation.
Projected energy savings
techUK says the purpose of the changes is to lower consumers' bills and avoid wasting electricity. It also points to an impending increase in the energy price cap. DESNZ estimates that stronger standby standards could save about 11.5 TWh of electricity and 234 ktCO2e by 2050.
The department places those projections alongside estimates for existing ecodesign policies, which it says have reduced electricity demand by 245 TWh over the past decade and delivered carbon savings of 59 MtCO2e since 2010.
For the EU, the European Commission estimates that Regulation (EU) 2023/826 will cut annual electricity consumption by around 32.5 TWh by 2030, save consumers €7 billion and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 4.6 Mt by that year. It expects the revised rules to contribute additional annual savings of 4 TWh and emissions reductions of 1.36 Mt CO2eq by 2030.
Consultation and proposed rollout
The consultation, "Updating standards for standby, networked standby and off mode power consumption", opened on October 16, 2026, and closes at 11:59 p.m. on December 24, 2026. Alongside the consultation, the government is notifying the World Trade Organisation of the proposed standards update and completing the associated 60-day standstill period.
The EU's Regulation (EU) 2023/826 began applying on May 9, 2025, including automatically in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. It repealed Regulations (EC) No 1275/2008 and (EC) No 107/2009. DESNZ proposes to repeal and replace those same two regulations for Great Britain.
The EU schedule has two stages: the first took effect on May 9, 2025, and stricter requirements are due on May 9, 2027. Rather than follow that two-stage approach, the UK government proposes introducing the full requirements in Great Britain at once, beginning in the second quarter of 2027, with a proposed six-month transitional period in line with WTO commitments.
