Dorin Jungietu
The new regulations will reduce energy consumption, lower costs for consumers, and promote more durable products that are easier to repair and have a lower environmental impact.
Among the new requirements are stricter energy efficiency and performance standards for products entering the market. Thus, consumers will, over time, benefit from equipment that uses less energy, has a longer service life and entails lower operating costs.
“Many homes have invisible energy consumers – TVs, game consoles, routers and other devices that continue to consume electricity even when they appear to be turned off. This “phantom” consumption accumulates day by day and is reflected in citizens’ bills. By applying European eco-design standards, we ensure that new products brought to market use less energy, last longer and are easier to repair. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce household bills and strengthen Moldova’s energy security,” said Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu.
For example, a device that is constantly in standby mode consumes energy 24 hours a day, even when not in use. Each watt consumed continuously means about 9 kWh of energy per year. In addition, an older TV can consume 5-10 watts in standby mode, even when it appears to be turned off. A modern TV, according to standards, consumes less than 0.5 watts in standby mode, and this difference can mean savings of up to 80 kWh per year for a single device. Thus, a house with 10-15 devices permanently connected to the socket can pay thousands of lei annually for energy that brings no real benefit to the family.
The residential sector is one of the largest energy consumers in the Republic of Moldova, accounting for 43% of the total. In this context, energy efficiency measures applied to equipment and appliances used daily in homes can provide energy savings of up to 32.76 GWh/year and emission reductions of 16,620 tons of CO2 equivalent/year at the national level.
This decision implements the latest European eco-design norms into the national legislation and represents a new step in the process of integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European energy market and fulfillment of the commitments undertaken within the Energy Community.
