ENERGY VAMPIRES ON OUR
ELECTRICAL OUTLETS!
The
worldwide harmonization of regulations governing the overall energy consumption of
external power supplies is in the works.
Some call them "vampires," or even "black angels" - those little
"accessories" on our electrical outlets. We all know them as cheap, third party
parts that frequently have nothing to do with the application itself, or supplying it with
the required operating power. In most cases, they are merely a bothersome external evil
that comes with the purchased device.
The characteristic "energy-saving" is simply not a sales argument as long as a
plug-in power supply draws no more than 5W to 15W from the outlet, and only for short
periods of time at that. As a result, the sales cartons for telephones, fax machines, game
consoles, etc. never include the notice "low in-home power consumption."
This, however, is out of step with the times and needs to be changed - a fact that
worldwide regulating bodies have recognized, and they are already taking action. With
energy costs - and commensurate conservation measures - on the rise, such
disproportionately high power consumption is clearly an unnecessary waste of electricity,
and legal directives governing the devices in question are increasingly being drawn up to
rectifying the situation.
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In fact, specified consumption limits,
as well as the time limits for meeting them, are already in place in various regions of
the world. In some cases, these are legally binding, while in others they are not;
however, the countdown is on, even if it has been running in relative silence thus far.
Starting as early as 2007, but no later than 2008, products using certain types of power
supplies will therefore need to be specified as meeting the applicable standby/no-load
energy loss and efficiency limits.The following overview sheds some light on this
gradually harmonizing regulation jungle:
The
key question: Which table-top and plug-in type power supplies already comply with existing
limits?
Most OEM power supplies delivered with newly introduced applications on today's market are
already within limits. And, for small to medium quantities purchased through distributors,
the manufacturers of standard power supplies have incorporated the latest technology from
large OEM applications as "state-of-the-art" in their catalog products.
External power supplies introduced by CODICO's supplier PHIHONG since mid-2004 comply with
the voluntary, but more stringent, ECOC guidelines. In addition, all power supplies
scheduled for launch this year will be tested for compliance by a CEC-listed test center.
We can thus expect to see several more universal table-top and plug-in power supplies for
unrestricted worldwide use arriving in 2006.
As for our manufacturer EOS / CELETRONIX POWER INDIA, all external power supplies brought
onto the market since 2005 meet the voluntary limits set by the California Energy Star
organization.
So, if you are seeking a power supply that will help your product remain competitive on
the worldwide market for some time to come, don't hesitate to contact CODICO. Simply let
us know your requirements and we will help you find the solution you are looking for!
Michael Schrutka, EXT 31
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