A spanner in the works? Are ambitious energy efficiency policy objectives frustrated by the standardisation processes or can ambitious technical standards accelerate progress?

Panel: 1. Foundations of future energy policy

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Mark Ellis, Mark Ellis and Associates, Australia
Vida Rozite, IEA, France

Abstract

International technical standards can be instrumental in creating global markets for efficient energy technologies. The growth in the scope of standards and labelling (S&L) programs globally, together with calls for greater harmonization, has reduced the use of local test methods and increased reliance on international test methods.

Energy efficiency has typically not been a key consideration in the development of technical standards but over recent years several government-led initiatives have attempted to make standards more appropriate to their policy ambitions. The improvement of test methods and inclusion of energy performance tiers as informative guidelines within international technical standards are amongst these initiatives. While not mandatory, the latter have been seen as a means of limiting the number of different performance requirements called up by government S&L programs, leading to reduced compliance costs. There may also be benefits for developing countries that do not necessarily have the resources to develop their own performance requirements.

However, some governments and experts query the wisdom of such approaches, which they say provide industrial lobbyists with the opportunity to limit minimum energy performance requirements at an un-ambitious level. Many governments are also concerned about the lack of a formalised structure within international standardisation processes to take account of policy ambitions. The slow pace of international standardisations may also be frustrating to national governments and potentially incompatible with local policy roadmaps.

This paper will describe several recent experiences with using international standards to advance energy efficiency for products. It will also discuss the pros and cons of this approach and identify a range of potential solutions that will make it more likely for governments to realize their policy ambitions.