A study has revealed Samsung’s televisions may be less energy efficient in real life than in tests.

According to the Guardian, results show that Samsung TVs in Europe use less energy in testing conditions than in real life use. The results suggest the possibility of energy efficiency test gaming reached further than the auto industry.

The study was carried out by Complain TV, funded by the EU.

The Samsung TVs in question feature a motion lighting that reduces brightness and power when a fast video motion is playing.

The study found the feature works during internal testing, but the same power reductions weren’t found in real life usage.

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Samsung has denied the allegations. It told the Guardian there was no comparison between VW and the motion lighting in question. “This is not a setting that only activates during compliance testing. On the contrary, it is an out of the box setting, which reduces power whenever video motion is detected. Not only that, the content used for testing energy consumption has been designed by the international electrotechnical commission to best model actual average picture level internationally.”

The European Commission said it will investigate.

The EU established instruments to support the transformation towards more energy efficient products, in order to increase the presence of energy efficient products in the market. TVs are subject to energy labelling and ecodesign implementing measures.

International test conditions involve playing different material including recorded programmes and live content on televisions to examine their energy levels. The study found no power reductions in real world settings.

Some EU states have already complained about the issue. Sweden found some televisions recognise the standard film used for testing. In a letter to the European Commission, seen by the Guardian, the Swedish Energy Agency raised the issue, not naming Samsung, and said: “These displays immediately lower their energy use by adjusting the brightness of the display when the standard film is being run. This is a way of avoiding the market surveillance authorities and should be addressed by the commission.”