Power Integrations Offers 'Energy-Efficiency Calculator,' for Standards Compliance

Power Integrations, a provider of high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, has introduced a new online tool that enables designers of external chargers and adapters to instantly determine whether their product complies with worldwide energy-efficiency regulations.

The new External Power Supply Efficiency Compliance Calculator compares power supply performance measurements against the specifications that now apply to external chargers and adapters, simplifying the design engineer's task of verifying compliance.

The calculator currently checks compliance to the following standards:

- Energy Star EPS (version 2.0): Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star is one of the most visible efficiency certifications worldwide.

- EISA 2007: The first mandatory U.S. federal EPS efficiency standard, the EPS limits in EISA 2007 were adopted from the California Energy Commission's Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

- European Commission Code of Conduct (version 4): The European Commission Code of Conduct (CoC) issued version 4 of its EPS specification in April 2009.

- EC Eco-design Directive: The European Commission's Eco-design Directive for external power supplies, scheduled to take effect in April 2010, will align with the EISA 2007 standard for Tier 1 and Energy Star (version 2) for Tier 2.

Rich Fassler, manager of energy-efficiency programs at Power Integrations, said, "Energy-efficiency specifications and standards have become increasingly complicated, and the landscape is constantly changing. For example, in April 2009 alone, two important updates occurred -- the EC Code of Conduct issued version 4 of its specification, and the upcoming EC Eco-design standard was approved by European Parliament. More than ever, power supply designers and those sourcing external power supplies for use with their end products need an easily accessible, up-to-date database of worldwide current and proposed regulations.

"Power Integrations' new External Power Supply Efficiency Compliance Calculator means that designers no longer have to consult multiple sources when checking the efficiency compliance of their EPS designs - they can simply enter their data and achieve an immediate, comprehensive, and accurate analysis."

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

Related terms: department of energy, energy, energy efficiency, eps, products, regulations, standards