The European Union has decided. No more popular TVs in Poland

The revolution in the electronics marketplace has become a fact. Millions of Europeans, including Poles, may never buy the dream tv 8K again, and the choice of popular 4K models will be drastically limited. All thanks to the new, highly strict European Union energy consumption rules, which have entered into force and have radically changed the offer in stores. The first wave of regulation hit the marketplace as early as 1 March 2023, and another one, concerning standby mode, began to apply from May 2025. It is 1 of the biggest reforms of the RTV marketplace in history, which will straight affect the content of the portfolios and consumer choices of Poles. The fresh standards are so sharp that many modern devices simply cannot meet them, which leads to their silent withdrawal from sales. This means little choice for consumers, possibly higher prices of advanced technologies, but besides a promise of lower electricity bills.

Drastic energy limits hit the market. What does this mean in practice?

The heart of the revolution is the European Commission's ecodesign regulation, which set new, much lower energy consumption limits for all televisions and monitors sold in the Union. TVs with 8K resolution (7680 × 4320 pixels) were most affected. Due to 4 times the number of pixels compared to 4K, their energy request is so advanced that gathering EU standards has become impossible for many models. The producers have chosen either to redesign their flagship products or to retreat them from the market.

However, the problem does not concern only the most costly devices. manufacture estimates are alarming – fresh regulations can force manufacturers to retreat from stores up to 70% of 4K tv models and 50% of HD models. In this case, the blow is mainly aimed at the cheapest, budget structures, which are frequently characterised by lower energy efficiency. This means that those looking for an affordable tv present have a much more limited choice than a fewer years ago.

Leading brands feverishly effort to adapt to the fresh reality. Sony and LG guarantee that their current product lines are designed to comply with EU requirements. These companies invest tremendous resources in the improvement of more energy-efficient panels and image processors to keep their advanced models on offer. Nevertheless, many models, especially those from erstwhile years, must have disappeared from the shelves.

May revolution in standby mode. Your equipment uses electricity erstwhile you sleep

EU officials did not halt at regulating energy consumption during the operation of equipment. Since May 2025, even stricter standards on alleged silent power consumption in standby mode (standby) have come into force. This is simply a problem that many consumers do not realize. European Commission studies show that equipment left in standby mode can account for up to 10% of full energy consumption in the average European household.

The fresh requirements are unambiguous and include a wide scope of equipment – from TVs, game consoles, routers, printers to household appliances and electrically driven furniture. Under the fresh rules:

• The device in off mode must not download more than 0.3 W.
• The apparatus in standby mode (standby) may usage up to 0.5 W.
• The device in networked standby mode has limits from 2 W to 8 W, depending on its function.

It's not over. EU policy assumes further tightening of standards. As early as 2027, even lower thresholds will apply, which will force manufacturers to proceed innovation in energy efficiency. For consumers, this means that fresh equipment will be much cheaper to maintain, which will translate into real savings in electricity bills.

The manufacture has been alerting for a long time. Why are the rules controversial?

Producers and manufacture organizations, specified as the Digital Union of Poland, have been beating the alarm for months, informing against the negative consequences of specified stringent regulations. The union president, Michał Kannicz, has repeatedly stressed that the energy consumption limits for 8K and MicroLED displays are inadequate to the current state of technology and marketplace situation.

The main allegation is that EU requirements are based on outdated assumptions from 2014-2017When 8K and MicroLED technologies were only in the prototype phase. Meanwhile, the first 8K TVs did not enter the EU marketplace until late 2018, and MicroLED did not scope 2022. Experts argue that imposing standards based on theoretical forecasts alternatively than on real technological capabilities is simply a mistake that can hinder innovation.

The Digital Union Poland even sent a letter to the Polish Minister of improvement and Technology asking for intervention in the European forum. It was feared that current government could weaken the competitiveness of the European marketplace and slow the improvement of modern technologies at a time erstwhile Europe is trying to catch up with the technological powers of Asia and the United States.

What are the consequences for Polish consumers? little choice and rising prices

In Poland, the effects of fresh regulations are already felt. Although 8K technology did not have time to settle in Polish homes, its popularity grew dynamically. Samsung data showed that 8K tv sales in Poland increased by more than 150% in the first 3 quarters of 2021. Nevertheless, according to the National Media Institute, 8K devices have only 1.2% of recipients and 4K – 25.2%. The fresh rules can effectively frost these statistic for many years.

Consumers looking for large diagonal TVs will be the most affected. 75-inch and larger models that become popular usage the most energywhich makes it hard for them to meet fresh limits. This means lower availability and possibly higher prices in this segment. Consumers will gotta make a choice: either pay more for an advanced, energy-efficient model of a large brand, or quit the largest diagonals.

What does this mean for your wallet and the environment?

The fresh regulations shed light on the hidden costs of having electronics. The older tube tv left in standby mode can download up to 5W and the tv decoders from respective to respective twelve watts. Each year, this can make additional costs on the electricity bill up to PLN 100. fresh regulations are expected to change that.

The European Commission estimates that yearly energy savings across the EU will scope 4 TWh, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of households' electricity consumption. At the same time, the simplification in CO2 emissions is expected to be close to 1.4 million tonnes per year. These changes, although burdensome for manufacturers and limiting choice for consumers, so have a real, affirmative environmental impact and in the long term, on our portfolios.

It is worth remembering that the regulations apply only to fresh devices introduced for sale. Nobody's gonna make us replace our TV. However, on the next acquisition we will gotta face a fresh marketplace reality. These changes mark the end of an era – an era in which energy efficiency was a secondary parameter. It is now becoming 1 of the key factors determining whether a product will be able to scope store shelves in the European Union at all.