Energy Efficieny LabellingBecause of the world's increasing dependence on electrical devices, the consumption of energy is increasing at an alarming rate. To counteract the rise in the demand for energy, a proven, cost effective means is to introduce standards and labels for certified equipment. This challenges manufacturers into creating more devices that make efficient use of electricity, while the labels create awareness amongst the general public. Therefore standardization is an effective means to use without compromising, or diminishing the quality and safety of the products, while reducing costs to the consumer for using the products.
Standards and regulations for efficient energy usage can prohibit devices from being sold in case they do not adhere to the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). This creates opportunity for manufacturers of similar devices that are compliant to the standard. It is clear that the MEPS standards also can be a lucrative utility in order to gain market share for manufacturers. Basically these standards are a win/win situation for all parties involved.
The labels contain information of the devices, indicating their power consumption, in order for consumer to make a conscious decision as to which product they should purchase. This saves the consumers from using more energy than required and cutting down costs on their energy bill.
While efficiency improvements slow the increase in energy usage and cut down in costs for both the consumer and the manufacturer, it is also a weapon in the battle against global warming as less fossil fuel is being used due to the decrease in energy consumption. This in turn decreases the emission of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. It also decreases pollution caused by the power plants, like pollution of water, and with the high savings potential it can support third world countries by having them switch to more sustainable means for energy consumption and thus conserving natural resources.
Energy efficiency labels and standards were created by the IIEC who:
- In 1989 introduced MEPS in Thailand, where after a series of tours and workshops the DSM master plan was introduced in 1991.
- In 1996 introduced MEPS in 12 Arabian states, after study and workshops, to increase interest for the programs.
IIEC has worked together with several organizations worldwide to create, expand and promote the energy efficiency standards and labeling programs. This includes working with all APEC countries for expanding MEPS. The IIEC is also a member of the development team of the “Energy Standard Information System” APEC is developing, which is an information portal web site for S&L workshops in 21 APEC countries.
