There have been some rumblings that the EU is set to ban coffee machines or force cold coffee on the general public. We wish to cut this myth off at the pass and explain why new rules coming into force as of January 2015 will not affect your beloved old coffee machine and why any new machine you buy will save on your electricity bills.
This decision to introduce energy efficient coffee machines was supported by consumer and industry organisations and voted for by the EU member states, including the UK. It is not going to affect older coffee machines that people already have in their homes. Equally it will not impact coffee makers used in the commercial or industrial sector.
The new rule simply means that coffee machines on the market after January 2015 must have an energy efficient option by having an eco mode that puts the hotplate or element into standby after a certain period (see below): thereby saving on people’s electricity bills.
The eco mode will be the default mode of the coffee machine but manufacturers are free to create a non time-limited option alongside the eco mode – thereby leaving choice open to the consumer.
Insulated jugs that maintain the coffee’s temperature and aroma play a big part in this modern technology and the annual energy saving projections are enormous – equating to the output of one medium sized gas fired power station (2 TWh a year).
From 1 January 2015, the delay time after which different coffee machine technologies should go into standby and off modes are:
- For domestic drip filter coffee machines storing the coffee in an insulated jug, a maximum time of five minutes after completion of the last brewing cycle;
- For domestic drip filter coffee machines storing the coffee in a non-insulated jug, a maximum time of 40 minutes after completion of the last brewing cycle;
- For other domestic coffee machines such as espresso makers, a maximum time of 30 minutes after completion of the last brewing cycle.
Source: http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/ECintheUK/hot-coffee/
