A control means comprises a control segment (3) that is designed for driving an electrically adjustable piece of furniture and a switched-mode power supply unit (2) that supplies power to the control segment (3). The switched-mode power supply unit (2) features a switching regulator component (223) for controlling the switched-mode power supply unit and can be switched into a normal operating mode and into an idle mode. The switched-mode power supply unit (2) is designed for making available a supply voltage for the switching regulator component (223) in a clocked fashion with the aid of a start-up circuit (224) in the idle mode. The switched-mode power supply unit (2) features a power failure detection circuit (230) that is designed for detecting a failure of a line voltage applied to the input side of the switched-mode power supply unit (2) based on a signal within the start-up circuit (224) and for signaling this failure to the control segment (3).
