EN IEC 55014 Electromagnetic Compatibility - Requirements for Household Appliances, Electrical Appliances and Similar Equipment

The standard “EN IEC 55014 Electromagnetic compatibility - Requirements for household appliances, electrical appliances and similar devices”, which is based on a European standard and later published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), consists of subsections published under the same title. Namely,

• The standard “EN IEC 55014-1 Part 1: Emission” specifies the requirements applicable to the emission of radio frequency disturbances in the frequency range 9 kHz to 400 GHz from AC or DC (including battery) operated appliances, electrical tools and similar devices. Wherever the term equipment is used in this standard, more specific terms such as appliance, household or similar appliances, electrical tools and toys are used.

This international standard is applicable to the following equipment:

• Household appliances or similar equipment:
  • For typical housekeeping functions in the dwelling and its annexes, garden and similar domestic environment.
  • For typical household functions in shops, offices, commercial and similar work environments
  • For farm work
  • By clients in hotels and other residential type environments
  • For induction cooking in both residential and commercial environments
• Power tools: Examples include hand-held tools, portable tools, lawn and garden machines that are powered by an electric motor or are electromagnetically driven.
• Similar devices: Examples include external power controllers using semiconductor devices, motor-driven electro-medical devices, electrical and electronic toys, automatic product dispensers, amusement machines, cinema or slide projectors, as well as battery chargers and external power supplies for use with products within the scope of this standard.

The scope of this standard also includes individual parts of the above-mentioned equipment, such as motors and switching devices (e.g. power or protection relays). However, no emission requirements apply to these individual parts unless otherwise specified in this standard.

Excluded from the scope of this standard are the following:

• Equipment for which all emission requirements in the radio frequency range are expressly formulated in other CISPR standards. Examples are:
  • Luminaires, including other lighting devices covered by the CISPR 15 standard, portable luminaires for children, discharge lamps
  • Information technology equipment, e.g. home computers, personal computers, electronic photocopiers covered by the CISPR 32 standard
  • Audio and visual equipment and electronic musical instruments other than toys within the scope of the CISPR 32 standard
  • Network communication devices and baby monitoring systems
  • Equipment within the scope of the CISPR 11 standard (e.g. microwave ovens) but caution is required in multifunctional equipment (e.g. for another function requiring click measurements)
  • Radio controls, walkie-talkies and other types of radio transmitters
  • Arc Welding Equipment
• Equipment designed for use only on a vehicle, ship or aircraft
• Equipment used only in an industrial environment
• Effects of electromagnetic phenomena on the safety of equipment

Multifunction equipment may be required to comply with clauses in this and other standards. The emission requirements in this standard are not intended to apply to intentional transmissions from a radio transmitter and their spurious emissions as defined by the International Telecommunication Union.

• The standard “EN IEC 55014-2 Part 2: Immunity - Product family” deals with the immunity of household appliances, electrical tools and similar devices, including electrical toys. This standard covers immunity requirements in the frequency range 0 kHz to 400 GHz. The aim of this standard is to harmonize with the relevant specifications of the CISPR 14-1 standard, to revise the specifications for the classification of equipment included in the scope, to add equipment combined with radio functions to the scope of the standard, to take into account equipment with higher clock frequencies, to extend the immunity test with electromagnetic fields up to 6 GHz and to remove the specifications for statistical evaluation.

In short, the main purpose of the EN IEC 55014-1 standard is to define the limits and measurement methods for electromagnetic emissions (both conducted and radiated) from electrical appliances and vehicles. Basically, it ensures that products do not emit too much electromagnetic noise that could interfere with radios, televisions, Wi-Fi, medical devices and the like.

This standard applies to household appliances, power tools and similar devices, such as washing machines, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, drills, kitchen appliances and garden tools. In other words, anything that could cause electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems in a typical home or similar environment.

The types of emissions covered include:

• Conducted emissions (noise transmitted to the electrical grid via power cables, typically measured between 9 kHz and 30 MHz)
• Radiation emissions (airborne noise, usually measured from 30 MHz onwards)

The main test areas include:

• Network terminal disturbances, i.e. electromagnetic interference (EMI) conducted along power cables
• Radiated electromagnetic disturbances (airborne EMI)
• Motors (large sources of EMI)
• Switching mode power supplies
• Electronic control circuits

The main purpose of the EN IEC 55014-2 standard is to define immunity requirements for devices and instruments. That is, how well the product must withstand external electromagnetic disturbances without malfunctioning or breaking down. Simply put, the EN IEC 55014-1 standard focuses on not being disturbed by other electrical and electronic devices, while the EN IEC 55014-2 standard focuses on not disturbing other electrical and electronic devices.

The EN IEC 55014-2 standard applies to the same types of products as the EN IEC 55014-1 standard.

The types of disturbances covered in the EN IEC 55014-2 standard are:

• Electrostatic discharge: Tests simulate people touching the device and creating sparks.
• Radiated radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields: Exposure to broadcast signals, cell phones, Wi-Fi, and similar equipment.
• Electrical fast transients: Switching noise from motors or relays.
• Surges: Large voltage spikes caused by nearby lightning.
• Conducted disturbances induced by RF fields: Disturbances from power lines.
• Voltage dips, short interruptions and voltage variations: Short-term interruptions and power outages on the power line.

The EN IEC 55014-2 standard defines how a device should react during and after a disturbance:

• Criterion A: The device continues to operate normally.
• Criterion B: Temporary loss of function is allowed, but automatic recovery is provided after impairment.
• Criterion C: Temporary loss of functionality is allowed; manual intervention (such as reset) to recover is allowed.

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