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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Battery Chargers and External Power Supplies

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This page describes rulemaking activities and regulations regarding energy efficiency for battery chargers and external power supplies.

Statutory Authority

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA) (Pub. L. 94-163) established an energy conservation program for major household appliances. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) (Pub. L. 109-58) and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) (Pub. L. 110-140) amended EPCA with regard to the energy conservation program for BCs and EPSs. Learn more about the laws and regulations related to appliances and commercial equipment standards.

EPCA, as amended by EPACT 2005 and EISA 2007, sets efficiency standards for Class A external power supplies. It also directs DOE to publish a final rule by July 1, 2011, to determine whether these standards should be amended and, if so, to include any amended standards as part of that final rule. The statute further directs DOE to publish a second final rule by July 1, 2015, to again determine whether the standards in effect should be amended. (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3))

The statute also requires DOE to issue a final rule prescribing energy conservation standards for BCs, if technologically feasible and economically justified, by July 1, 2011, (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(1)(E)(i)(II) as well as perform a determination analysis for EPSs excluded from the July 1, 2008, standard. (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(1)(E)(i)(I) These rulemaking will be bundled with the rulemaking for Class A EPSs, as the products are closely related.

Finally, in addition to energy conservation standards, EPCA contains provisions relating to test procedures for BCs and EPSs. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b) and 6295(gg))

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Current Regulations

Energy Conservation Standards

Battery Chargers

There are currently no energy conservation standards for battery chargers.

External Power Supplies

Section 301 of EISA 2007 established minimum efficiency standards for Class A EPSs effective July 1, 2008. The provision is reproduced here:

(6) EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR CLASS A EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLIES-

  1. IN GENERAL- Subject to subparagraphs (B) through (D), a class A external power supply manufactured on or after the later of July 1, 2008, or the date of enactment of this paragraph shall meet the following standards:

    Active Mode
    Nameplate Output Minimum Efficiency (decimal equivalent of a percentage)
    <1 Watt 0.5 times the nameplate output
    1 to not more than 51 Watts The sum of 0.09 times the natural logarithm of the nameplate output and 0.5
    >51 Watts 0.85
    No-Load Mode
    Nameplate Output Maximum Consumption
    Not more than 250 Watts 0.5 watts

  2. NONCOVERED SUPPLIES- A class A external power supply shall not be subject to subparagraph (A) if the class A external power supply is—

    1. manufactured during the period beginning on July 1, 2008, and ending on June 30, 2015; and
    2. made available by the manufacturer as a service part or a spare part for an end-use product—
      1. that constitutes the primary load; and
      2. was manufactured before July 1, 2008.

  3. MARKING- Any class A external power supply manufactured on or after July 1, 2008, or the date of enactment of this paragraph shall be clearly and permanently marked in accordance with the External Power Supply International Efficiency Marking Protocol, as referenced in the Energy Star Program Requirements for Single Voltage External AC-DC and AC-AC Power Supplies, version 1.1 published by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Definitions

Battery Charger

42 U.S.C. 6291(32) as amended by Section 135 of EPACT 2005
The term battery charger means a device that charges batteries for consumer products, including battery chargers embedded in other consumer products.

External Power Supply

42 U.S.C. 6291(36)(A) as amended by Section 135 of EPACT 2005
IN GENERAL- The term external power supply means an external power supply circuit that is used to convert household electric current into DC current or lower-voltage AC current to operate a consumer product.

Consumer Product

42 U.S.C. 6291(1)
The term consumer product means any article other than an automobile, as defined in section 32901(a)(3) of title 49 of a type—

  • which in operation consumes, or is designed to consume, energy or water with respect to showerheads, faucets, water closets, and urinals; and
  • which, to any significant extent, is distributed in commerce for personal use or consumption by individuals without regard to whether such article of such type is in fact distributed in commerce for personal use or consumption by an individual, except that such term includes fluorescent lamp ballasts, general service fluorescent lamps, incandescent reflector lamps, showerheads, faucets, water closets, and urinals distributed in commerce for personal or commercial use or consumption.

Class A External Power Supply

42 U.S.C. 6291(36)(C) as amended by Section 301 of EISA 2007

  • IN GENERAL- The term class A external power supply means a device that—
    • is designed to convert line voltage AC input into lower voltage AC or DC output;
    • is able to convert to only 1 AC or DC output voltage at a time;
    • is sold with, or intended to be used with, a separate end-use product that constitutes the primary load;
    • is contained in a separate physical enclosure from the end-use product;
    • is connected to the end-use product via a removable or hard-wired male/female electrical connection, cable, cord, or other wiring; and
    • has nameplate output power that is less than or equal to 250 watts.
  • EXCLUSIONS- The term class A external power supply does not include any device that—
    • requires Federal Food and Drug Administration listing and approval as a medical device in accordance with section 513 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360c); or
    • powers the charger of a detachable battery pack or charges the battery of a product that is fully or primarily motor operated.

Detachable Battery

42 U.S.C. 6291(52) as amended by Section 301 of EISA 2007
The term detachable battery means a battery that is—

  • contained in a separate enclosure from the product; and
  • intended to be removed or disconnected from the product for recharging.

Test Procedures

The current test procedures for BCs and EPSs were developed as part of a rulemaking process establishing test procedures for several products contained in the EPACT of 2005. The test procedures were subsequently amended to include provisions for measuring standby mode and off mode energy consumption, as directed by EISA 2007.

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Certification, Compliance and Enforcement Requirements

Manufacturers of covered products must report to DOE that the products they manufacture comply with applicable energy conservation standards. The standby and off mode test procedure final rule published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2009, explains the steps manufacturers must take to demonstrate compliance for Class A EPSs. These requirements have become effective since DOE issued a final rule for a sampling plan for EPSs on January 5, 2010. Manufacturers are required to submit Certification Reports and Compliance Reports to DOE for EPSs by July 6, 2010. Certification and compliance requirements are summarized on page 13321 and discussed in greater detail on pages 13327-31 of the March 27, 2009 Rule. The amendments to 10 CFR Part 430 are reproduced on pages 13335-6.

The Department published a Final Rule on January 5, 2010, which adopts regulations to implement reporting requirements for energy conservation standards and energy use. The Final Rule also addresses other matters concerning compliance, certification and enforcement procedures. With respect to battery chargers and external power supplies, the January 5, 2010 final rule specifies the number of units that must be tested for certification under section 430.24. The Department published a Technical Amendment on January 28, 2010 that corrects cross-referencing errors in the final rule.

Please also see a detailed example of the application of the above two rules to external power supplies, as well as a list of frequently asked questions, available through the below links.

 

Rulemakings in Progress

The following is a list of BC and EPS rulemakings currently in progress. Click on a rulemaking to learn more about it.

  • Standards: BCs and Class A EPSs; Final Action Date July 2011; Docket EERE-2008-BT-STD-0005
  • Test Procedures: BCs, Class A EPSs, and non-Class A EPSs; Final Action Date July 2011; Docket EERE-2009-BT-TP-0019
  • Standards: Class A EPSs; Final Action Date July 2015

Semi-annually DOE publishes a report to Congress detailing its planned schedule for meeting the required rulemaking deadlines for all covered products, including BCs and EPSs. Read about the most recent report to Congress here.

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Past Rulemakings

Test Procedures (from EPACT 2005)

Docket Number: EE-RM/TP-05-500

Test procedures for BCs and EPSs were developed as part of a rulemaking process establishing test procedures for several products contained in EPACT 2005. To facilitate review of the relevant portions of this final rule, DOE highlighted the terms "battery charger" and "external power supply" throughout the final rule.

Determination Analysis (from EPACT 2005)

Docket Number: EERE-2006-DET-0136

EPACT 2005 required DOE to issue a final rule to determine whether to issue energy conservation standards for battery chargers and external power supplies. DOE initiated this determination analysis rulemaking in 2006, which included a scoping workshop on January 24, 2007, at DOE headquarters in Washington, DC. The determination was underway and on schedule for issuance by August 8, 2008, when EISA 2007 was enacted.

  • Learn more about the EPACT 2005 determination analysis

Test Procedures (from EISA 2007)

Docket Number EERE-2008-BT-TP-0004

Section 310 of EISA 2007 required DOE to amend its existing test procedures for both BCs and EPSs to measure energy consumed in standby mode and off mode. It also authorized DOE to amend by rule any of the definitions for active, standby, and off mode so long as DOE took into consideration the most current versions of Standards 62301 and 62087 of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Test Procedures

Docket Number EERE-2009-BT-TP-0019

DOE revised its test procedure to include an active mode test for battery chargers which is necessary to develop energy conservation standards for battery chargers as mandated by EISA. DOE is also amending portions of its existing standby and off mode battery charger test procedure by decreasing the required test time. DOE is also amending its active mode single voltage external power supply test procedure to permit the testing of certain types of external power supplies.

Determination Analysis (from EISA 2007)

Docket Number EERE-2009-BT-DET-0005

EPCA, as amended by EPACT 2005 and EISA 2007, requires DOE to conduct an analysis to determine whether to set standards for external power supplies outside of Class A (non-Class A EPSs). DOE has positively determined that standards are warranted for these products.

Contact Information

Jeremy Dommu
Project Manager
(202) 586-9870

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