Air Conditioners

The accurate and repeatable testing of products is a basic requirement for energy efficiency programmes and therefore improving tests for variable capacity air conditioners & heat pumps is important. It is particularly timely given the growth in these types of products. 4E is examining potential changes to relevant test procedures culminating in a round robin within 4E countries which will be completed at the end of 2022.

Energy-using Systems

As part of an ongoing investigation, 4E launched a new project in 2021 to better understand the real and current barriers to regulatory policies for systems in 4E jurisdictions. Based on three case studies, the project will focus on Australia, Canada, the EU and Japan.
Additionally, the project will quantify the total savings potential from the implementation of policies for energy-using systems.

Achievements of Energy Efficiency Appliance and Equipment Standards and Labelling Programmes

This global assessment of the benefits of standards and labelling programmes is the result of collaborative research between 4E and the IEA. Published in 2021 during the lead-in to COP26 it supports the case for increased investment in these programmes to deliver on international climate commitments.

This enables 4E Members to identify whether their current policies are being effective, how these policies and the performance of products compares across different regions and opportunities for closer alignment.

This process forms a multi-lateral exchange between regulators within 4E Member countries that accelerates the development of product policies and increases the level of energy savings, while also reducing regulatory and cost burdens on industry and consumers.

Joint analysis by the IEA and 4E into the global impacts of energy efficiency regulations¹ has shown that:

The longest running energy efficiency (EES&L) programmes are estimated to deliver annual reductions of around 15% of total current electricity consumption.

In the nine countries/regions for which data were available, these programmes reduced annual electricity consumption by a total of around 1,580 terawatt-hours in 2018 – similar to the total electricity generation of wind and solar energy in those countries.

On average, the energy efficiency of new major appliances in countries with EES&L programmes has increased two to three times the underlying rate of technology improvement.

The average purchase price of appliances covered by EES&L programmes declined at a rate of 2-3% per year.

Within 4E economies, energy efficiency regulations, taken to include minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), mandatory and voluntary energy labelling in this report, are a key driver for product efficiency.