The EU At It Again!!

EU lays down the law on coffee making

European Union issues new rules requiring filter coffee machines to turn off automatically in order to help save energy

Filter coffee machines will have to turn off automatically to help save energy, under new European Union rules.

All of the devices on sale for domestic use from next year will be required to go into “standby mode” after brewing the drink, the Sun reported.

The European Commission said the changes would save money on electricity bills and were “supported by consumer and industry organisations” as well as member states including the UK.

However campaigners claimed the rules would leave many people with “cold coffee”.

Under the new regulation domestic drip filter machines which store coffee in an insulated jug will have to go on “standby” within five minutes of brewing the drink - meaning that the heated plate or element will switch off.

Those machines with non-insulated jugs will have to go on standby after no more than 40 minutes. Espresso makers will be given a half hour limit.

All new machines will be required to have the “eco mode” as their default setting, although manufacturers will be able to create an option for people to disable the limits.

Alan Murad from the Get Britain Out campaign group described the regulation as “ludicrous”.

"Not content with the £55 million they take from Britain every day, our European masters have now come after our hot coffee," he said.

“More than one in five Britons own a coffee machine and could be affected by this latest diktat from Brussels.

“The sooner the Great British Public are given a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the EU, the sooner we can say goodbye to ludicrous laws like this.”

The European Commission said the rules would not affect commercial machines or those which people already have in their homes.