On March 20, 2026, China called for public comment on 28 mandatory national standard projects until April 19, 2026. Among them, five energy efficiency-related standards are proposed for development or revision:

• Maximum allowable values of energy consumption and energy efficiency grades of electric clothes dryers for household use (To be developed)
• GB 38450 Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades of LED flat panel luminaires (Revision)
• GB 24850-2020 Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for flat panel televisions and set-top boxes (Revision)
• GB 19761-2020 Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for fan (Revision)
• GB 18613-2020 Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and values of efficiency grade for motors (Revision)

All five national standard plans are proposed by the National Standardization Administration (SAC) and are managed by the National Technical Committee on Energy Fundamentals and Management of Standardization (TC20). Notably, foreign companies are involved in two of the five standards: BSH Home Appliances participates in developing the household electric clothes dryer standard, while Panasonic and Signify take part in revising the GB 38450. To facilitate international trade and technical cooperation, foreign language versions of these five standards will be developed simultaneously with the Chinese versions. The proposed standard aim to support the country’s carbon peaking and neutrality goals by upgrading efficiency benchmarks, phasing out outdated products, and promoting green technology innovation.

These proposals follow the February 27 release of GB 30255-2026 Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades of LED products for indoor lighting, which will take effect on September 1, 2027. The revised standard introduces three major upgrades:

• Expanded coverage: It not only focuses on the energy efficiency of basic lighting products but also sets efficiency requirements for emerging smart lighting products (e.g., dimmable, tunable-color), thereby strengthening the regulatory basis for energy efficiency.
• Higher efficiency requirements: It sets efficiency targets based on product characteristics and application scenarios, moderately raises the entry bar for Grade 3, further tightens technical criteria for Grade 2 energy-saving products to better distinguish high-efficiency products, and introduces efficiency correction factors for premium features such as high color rendering, anti-glare, and smart control, balancing energy savings with lighting quality.
• Optimized performance requirements: Adds standby power limits, extending energy efficiency control from “operational efficiency” to “full-time efficiency” to reduce energy waste in non-operating states.

European companies in China face both opportunities and challenges from the revision and development of these five energy efficiency standards. The direct involvement of firms such as BSH, Panasonic, and Signify in drafting the standards shows that European companies are moving from simply complying with rules to embedding their technological strengths into China’s regulatory framework. The significantly raised efficiency thresholds will accelerate the phase-out of lower-end products, allowing technologically advanced European companies to gain greater market leverage and pricing power through their strengths in high-efficiency motors, smart controls, and other areas.

Source: https://www.samr.gov.cn/bzjss/zqyj/art/2026/art_38fffd58109a4e31a4775d17353821e1.html

https://www.sac.gov.cn/xw/tzgg/art/2026/art_d37569843a3a4cc1ba9adf6400e6eb6d.html