The EU passed a significantly stricter law regarding the power consumption of TV sets, which came into force on March 1, 2023. The aim of the so-called Ecodesign Directive is to improve “the environmentally friendly design of products”. The main aim should therefore be to reduce the large energy guzzlers. This sometimes has far-reaching consequences.
In the new Ecodesign Policy is not just about televisions, but generally about devices that consume electricity. However, since TVs are known to be one of the biggest power hogs in most homes, they are definitely the hardest hit. Customers should benefit from the new law by saving electricity costs. On the other hand, the range of products available to consumers will also be significantly restricted, especially in the short term. For certain display technologies such as large 8K monitors, it could also mean the final end in Europe. The technology is not particularly popular here anyway.
The ordinance has been in effect for several years, but the criteria were tightened as of March 2023. While the colorful energy label stickers with a color palette from green to red were primarily used as a guideline for consumers, they now mark actual bans on the sale of certain products. In addition, the regulation no longer only includes “energy-related” products, which is why display types such as televisions are now also affected. Devices that exceed the set energy limits may no longer be sold at all.
EU law affects OLED TVs
Due to the significantly stricter EU limit values, there are no TV sets in the “green” upper efficiency classes anyway. According to the new energy classification, almost all modern televisions from 49 inches end up in the lowest energy efficiency class “G”. All monitors whose values are still above this “G” range are now affected by the actual sales ban. The display size is taken into account in the classification, since larger devices naturally consume more power than small ones. Nevertheless, larger monitors, especially those with OLED and/or 8K technology, are affected. A special regulation previously applied to them, which is no longer applicable.
This is primarily a manufacturer problem. The EU also hopes that more energy-efficient devices will come onto the market more quickly. For example, the well-known manufacturer LG Electronics has already announced that it does not want to launch any new LCD or 8K televisions on the market in 2023. They only want to hold on to the old models for the time being; the EU directives do not apply to products already on the market.
Manufacturers can partially circumvent the sales freeze
There are still options for manufacturers to circumvent the new regulation. About the well-tried brightness trick. The brightness level at delivery applies to the determined values and ultimately the energy classification. Manufacturers can lower this and thus save electricity – but only up to 35 percent or at least 220 candelas (per square meter).
On the other hand, the upper limit for consumption values decided by the European Union relates specifically to the display of images in SDR (Standard Dynamic Range). In this mode, the power consumption values are measured. Accordingly, the manufacturers could redesign their devices and rely fully on HDR (High Dynamic Range).
This is especially true for OLED TVs in general, which often come with 4K resolution these days – but things are different with 8K. Roughly one can say: The more pixels (and with 8K that’s around 8000 horizontally), the more lines, the greater the brightness required, which therefore consumes more power. The Korean manufacturer Samsung has therefore already announced that it will install a new Eco mode in its 8K devices, which is then preset by default upon delivery.