The EU's much stricter Energy Efficiency Index will go into effect in March 2023 as planned without revision, the EU Commission has confirmed to Italian newspaper DDay.
Earlier this year, TV manufacturers and the 8K Association warned that 8K TVs could effectively be banned from sales in Europe in March 2023 as a result of EU's updated Energy Efficiency Index (EEI). Today, all types of 8K TVs are exempt from having to comply with the maximum power limit, but this exemption will be removed starting March 2023.
- "Unless something changes, March 2023 will spell trouble for the emerging 8K industry with the 8K EU Regulatory Ruling. That’s when new EU power consumption regulations are set to go into effect. The power consumption limits on 8K TVs (and microLED-based displays) are set so low that essentially none of these devices will pass," the 8K Association wrote in a blog post at the time.
In October, FlatpanelsHD did the calculations for EEImax (Energy Efficiency Index Maximum) for various popular TV size classes. Here is what it means for LCD, OLED and microLED TVs, both 4K and 8K. The maximum limit relates to the TV's factory picture settings.
| Size class | March 2023: Maximum power for 4K and 8K TVs |
|---|
| 40" | 48 W |
| 42" | 53 W |
| 48" | 66 W |
| 55" | 84 W |
| 65" | 112 W |
| 75" | 141 W |
| 77" | 148 W |
| 83" | 164 W |
| 85" | 169 W |
| 88" | 178 W |
No review planned
TV makers had stated their intention to try and get the EU Commission to review the regulation that was promulgated in 2019, based on a clause in the regulation which stated: "The Commission shall review this Regulation in the light of technological progress and shall present the results of the assessment, including, if appropriate, a draft revision proposal, to the Consultation Forum no later than 25 December 2022".
No dice.
The European Commission has confirmed to Italian newspaper DDay that it will not review the new limits this month. The stricter requirements will therefore go into effect on March 1, 2023, without revision.
The Commission also believes that it is possible for TV makers to get their 8K TVs to comply.
- "The information in the Commission confirms that it will still be possible for manufacturers to offer compatible 8K TVs," the European Commission wrote in a statement to DDay.it (translated). "In some cases after the implementation of technical or software improvements by manufacturers."
- Source: DDay.it
