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		Battery Charger System Policy Developments

There are currently several policy-setting bodies in the United States and internationally that are working independently to help establish standard test procedures and specifications to encourage the manufacture and purchase of more efficient battery charger systems. These groups include:

The California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) funded researchers to investigate a battery charger systems efficiency test procedure that is applicable to all nearly all current battery charger systems. The test procedure was finalized in September 2007 after four years of research by Ecos Consulting and EPRI, multiple revisions, and a series of stakeholder workshops. A few minor revisions may still be made by the California Energy Commission before the test procedure is officially adopted. Documentation of the procedure's development, including past versions, stakeholder meeting notes, and comment summaries, can be found here.
The Commission is looking to establish mandatory standards for the State of California on battery chargers as it revises California Title 20 appliance energy efficiency standards in 2008. Ecos is currently working on standards proposals as a part of PG&E's Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) process, and these will be discussed and unveiled through California Energy Commission stakeholder hearings in the coming months. Further information on the Title 20 process and battery charger hearings in particular can be found on the Energy Commission web site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® program has established a test procedure and efficiency specification separate from the methods being proposed for use in California Title 20 standards. Its specification is more limited in scope and only applies to consumer battery charger systems that produce heat, light, and motion. These include a variety of common household products such as electric shavers, portable vacuums, and power tools. These products are held to an overall “energy ratio” based on the amount of energy that they use in maintenance and no battery modes. Active/charge mode is not currently covered in the specification. Those products that meet the specification will receive the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR has announced that it is considering updating its specification to include active mode at a date to be determined.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is also investigating mandatory U.S. federal standards as a result of a mandate from the 2005 Energy Policy Act (EPACT) and the more recent Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The passage of EISA has revised certain language from EPACT and includes new dates related to setting federal battery charger policy. DOE must now determine whether to pursue battery charger standards by July 1, 2011. Any proposed standards would go into effect three years later in 2014. A timeline for the development of these standards can be found on the DOE's web site.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is also currently investigating the creation of battery charger systems standard and is actively working with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in developing a battery charger systems energy efficiency test procedure.

What's new?

NEW! California Energy Commission Call for Data

NEW! Battery Charger Data Collection Template

NEW! Revision 2.2 Final California Battery Charger Systems Test Procedure

Events

California Energy Commissions 2008 Title 20 Rulemaking

May 30, 2007 Battery Charger Systems Test Procedure Workshop

November 2005 California Battery Charger Systems Test Procedure Workshop

Research

Battery Charger Technical Primer
A technical design primer jointly authored by Ecos Consulting and EPRI, highlighting efficient design strategies for consumer battery charger systems.

Energy Commission Battery Charger Presentation 2006
A presentation given by Ecos Consulting summarizing current California Energy Commission research on battery charger energy efficiency, given at the 2006 "Advancements in Battery Technology and Power Management Conference" in Chicago.

Energy Commission Battery Charger Presentation
A presentation given by Ecos Consulting summarizing current California Energy Commission research on battery charger energy efficiency, given at the 2005 "Advancements in Battery Technology and Power Management Conference" in Vancouver, BC.

NRDC Battery Charger Report
Scoping research on the opportunity for energy savings through battery charger efficiency.

NRDC Battery Charger Efficiency PPT
A presentation given by Ecos Consulting on battery charger efficiency basics.

NRDC Laptop Efficiency Summary
Report on energy-saving features and opportunities in laptop computers, a battery-powered product.

Test Methods

Revision 1.2 Final California Battery Charger Test Procedure
An updated version of the Fall 2007 California Battery Charger Test Procedure. This version addresses stakeholder comments from April 2008 California Energy Commission stakeholder workshops.

Revision 1.1 Final California Battery Charger Test Procedure
An updated version of the Fall 2007 California Battery Charger Test Procedure. This version includes updates related to the charging and discharging of batteries of unknown rated capacity.

Final California Battery Charger Test Procedure
This document is the final version of a comprehensive battery charger system efficiency test procedure developed by Ecos Consulting and EPRI.

Working Draft California Battery Charger Test Procedure

Draft 2 California Battery Charger Test Procedure
This document is the second draft of a comprehensive battery charger test procedure being developed by Ecos Consulting and EPRI Solutions. Please send any comments to Suzanne Foster Porter at Ecos Consulting by May 15, 2006.

EPA ENERGY STAR Battery Charger Test Method
A test method currently being used to by the EPA ENERGY STAR program to evaluate products for its battery charger specification.

Programs and Policies

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Battery Charger Standards Web Page

ENERGY STAR battery charger specification

ENERGY STAR external power supply specification

Other Useful Info

EPA Battery Alert

Information on EPA Battery Act

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation

Worldwide battery laws

Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Links

How Stuff Works - Batteries

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