TY - JOUR
T1 - International benchmarking
T2 - Supplying the information for product efficiency policy makers
AU - Siderius, Hans Paul
AU - Jeffcott, Stuart
AU - Blok, Kornelis
PY - 2012/6/1
Y1 - 2012/6/1
N2 - In the development of effective product efficiency policy, the critical element for policy makers is comprehensive, independent information. However, easily accessible, reliable information on the energy performance of products and policies is often scarce within a particular market, and rarer still if the policy maker is seeking comparisons on an international level. This article presents a method (Mapping & Benchmarking) to compare energy efficiency of products across countries, and the results for 3 products: refrigerators-freezers, washing machines and laundry driers. The results show an improvement of the efficiency over time for these products. However, part of this improvement is due to increased capacity of the products and not to lower energy consumption. Therefore policy makers should consider the development of policies based on product energy consumption and not (only) on product efficiency in order to capture the full potential of technology improvements for energy savings. Results for refrigerator-freezers suggest that in the long run both a policy strategy where minimum efficiency requirements are prominent and a policy strategy where a mandatory energy label is prominent can provide for increasing efficiencies.
AB - In the development of effective product efficiency policy, the critical element for policy makers is comprehensive, independent information. However, easily accessible, reliable information on the energy performance of products and policies is often scarce within a particular market, and rarer still if the policy maker is seeking comparisons on an international level. This article presents a method (Mapping & Benchmarking) to compare energy efficiency of products across countries, and the results for 3 products: refrigerators-freezers, washing machines and laundry driers. The results show an improvement of the efficiency over time for these products. However, part of this improvement is due to increased capacity of the products and not to lower energy consumption. Therefore policy makers should consider the development of policies based on product energy consumption and not (only) on product efficiency in order to capture the full potential of technology improvements for energy savings. Results for refrigerator-freezers suggest that in the long run both a policy strategy where minimum efficiency requirements are prominent and a policy strategy where a mandatory energy label is prominent can provide for increasing efficiencies.
KW - Appliances
KW - Energy efficiency indicators
KW - Minimum efficiency standards
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859773682&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.047
DO - 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.047
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859773682
SN - 0301-4215
VL - 45
SP - 389
EP - 398
JO - Energy Policy
JF - Energy Policy
ER -
