MacMini Shuts Down Instead of Just Sleeping

Other posts have mentioned this issue, but none of the suggestions solved my problem.
The monitor is set to sleep after 15 minutes and the hard drive is set to sleep after half an hour. At first, my MacMini just shut down after a varying period of sleep, despite having no shutdown options selected in System Preferences. Over the last 6-9 months, I've pulled the power cord so many times I can't even count them to reset the power management unit. No joy. Now, after applying the 10.8.5 combo updater and supplemental, the machine won't startup again unless you pull the power cord. The only difference that I can see between my setup and that of the others that have posted on this issue is that I am using Filevault.
Elsewhere on Apple's website, I read that the reason the machine shuts down is related to a EU requirement for energy saving that was introduced within the last year or so. I could live with the machine shutting down when it's not being used, but having to pull the power cord every time I want to startup is really annoying, and I'm concerned that I have a hardware problem that should be addressed while this machine is still under warranty. Any ideas?
Ricka

as I stated in my post, resetting the SMC has not solved the problem.
I don't see where you made that statement in your first post. You're making it now.
"Safe Sleep" behavior is described here:
Mac computers: Progress bar appears after waking from sleep
Your description doesn't seem to fit. If that's correct, and if you've already reset the SMC, then see below.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches. 
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and  Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

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