Boilers, computers, washing machines and air-conditioning units are among 14 product groups targeted for tough rules because consumers refuse to choose the most energy-efficient models or switch off their appliances when not needed.

Manufacturers will have a five-year deadline to produce designs that drastically reduce the waste of the standby button and devices that are routinely plugged in all day, such as cordless telephones and set-top boxes. After that deadline, likely to be 2012, “products that do not meet the agreed minimum requirements may not be put on the market”, according to a leaked copy of the EU energy review report.

British households pay £37 a year to keep electrical goods in standby mode, according to the Energy Saving Trust. The energy that is wasted is equivalent to the output of two 700MW power stations, it says.

But the European Commission is looking beyond the home and office in an effort to save €100 billion (£67 billion) by 2020 via greater energy efficiency. Among measures planned for vehicles, which are subject to manufacturers’ voluntary emissions targets, are stricter mandatory levels by 2012 and the compulsory fitting of tyre pressure monitoring systems in new models. Correct tyre pressure can improve fuel efficiency by 5 per cent.

The construction industry also faces further red tape. From 2009 the windows fitted to all new and most renovated buildings must conform to heat-loss standards.

Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, supports the EU measures, which must be agreed by member states before taking effect. Industry believes that since the standards will apply to all goods allowed to be sold in the EU, they will become a de facto global benchmark for new products.

Mrs Beckett, a former Environment Secretary, said: “This is a good example of something the world community ought to be looking at if we are serious about energy efficiency.

“It is making the point that the biggest single thing we can do in the short term is energy efficiency.”

She added that the voluntary introduction of energy-saving measures had failed. “We did have videos and DVDs produced with exactly this kind of equipment built in. But it was not a selling point and no one took any interest, so the manufacturers took no interest and they went backwards.”

British retailers said that they would welcome the new requirements. But Mike Floodgate, development and support manager at the Radio, Electrical and Television Retailers’ Association, said: “Some of this equipment has to stay on standby, like set-top boxes, which receive upgrades over air. There is the possibility that some of the goods may cost more but if this is being replicated worldwide the actual cost is not likely to be too much more.”

Next year “minimum energyperformance standards” will be drawn up for appliances in 14 priority areas with a five-year warning to manufacturers to design products that meet the requirements. Labelling will show how efficient an appliance is.

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