News
Oven Standby Power: 0.3W Limit Proposed for Cookers
Updated 2026
The clock and touch controls on an electric range draw power around the clock, and the government wants to tighten the limit on how much. This week also brings the first Warm Home Discount letters of the winter, and a portable gas stove pulled from sale because its flame cannot be turned down.
Electric ovens and hobs face tighter standby limits from 2027
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero opened a consultation on 16 October 2026 on new ecodesign rules for standby, off-mode and networked standby power in Great Britain, replacing regulations that date from 2008 and 2009 and lining up with the EU’s 2023 rules. The products in scope include electric ovens, including those built into cookers, electric hobs and hotplates, microwave ovens, toasters, fryers and coffee machines.
The proposed limits are:
- Off mode: 0.3 watts, down from 0.5 watts.
- Standby with an information or status display, such as a clock: 0.8 watts, down from 1.0 watt.
- Standby that only waits to be switched back on: unchanged at 0.5 watts.
- Networked standby, new for Great Britain: 2.0 watts for most connected products and 7.0 watts for those that must stay highly available on a network.
The EU brought its rules in over two stages, in May 2025 and May 2027. The government proposes doing it in one step from the second quarter of 2027. It estimates modest price rises of between £1.48 and £5.55 per product, which it expects electricity savings to pay back, and around 11.5 TWh of electricity saved by 2050 across all products in scope. The consultation closes on 24 December 2026.
What it means for a buyer: the saving per cooker is small, a fraction of a watt, so this is not a reason to delay buying a range. It matters more for the growing number of ranges and ovens with wi-fi and app control, which would face a networked standby cap for the first time. When you compare models, check the manual for the standby figure. For the bigger running-cost picture, see are electric range cookers expensive to run, the induction range cooker guide and our range cooker running cost calculator. Source: DESNZ consultation.
Warm Home Discount: £150 letters start arriving
From 22 October 2026, households in England and Wales on means-tested benefits should start receiving letters confirming £150 off their energy bills this winter, the government said. Around 6 million households across Britain will get the Warm Home Discount, and letters will keep going out until January 2027. Most people will get the money automatically; the letter will say if you need to ring the helpline instead, and if so you must call before 26 February 2027. Every billpayer on means-tested benefits now qualifies. The government warns recipients to deal with their supplier only through their usual contact route and not to follow links or give bank details in emails, texts or calls claiming to be about the discount.
Why it matters: if you are on a means-tested benefit and no letter has come by January, ask your supplier rather than waiting, because the helpline deadline is fixed. For the unit rates your cooker is running on this winter, see range cooker energy price cap rates. Source: DESNZ.
Kovar camping stove withdrawn: flame too big at the lowest setting
The Office for Product Safety and Standards published a report on 22 October on the Kovar Windproof Camping Stove, model K-203, a portable gas stove made in China. Its burner produces a large, uncontrolled flame even on the lowest setting, creating a risk of burns, and it does not meet the UK gas appliance rules. OPSS lists the risk as high; Trading Standards made the notification. The stove has been withdrawn and destroyed by S&S Cash and Carry, and anyone who has one should stop using it and go back to the seller for a refund or replacement.
Why it matters: a gas burner that cannot be turned down is a basic failure. Never run a camping stove indoors, even in a power cut, and keep a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a gas appliance; our page on carbon monoxide alarm rules for cookers explains where they are required, and our cooker recalls list covers the kitchen recalls to check. Source: OPSS product safety report 2610-0157.
