In June 2017, the European Parliament voted a revised Energy Labelling Regulation reinforcing its consumer empowerment role. Following that parliamentary decision, a group of environmental NGOs published a report focusing on 18 months of research into the test standards of three popular consumer products covered by the energy label scheme – dishwashers, refrigerators and televisions. The study found that the test standards, when used for the declaration of energy-performance of these products, do not always reflect typical consumer usage and technological developments.

Appliances regulated by the EU energy label are responsible for most home energy use. Together with other efficiency policies, experts estimate these policies are set to reduce energy bills of an average EU household by nearly €500 by 2020 [1].

Environmental groups are calling for more accurate, fair and consumer-relevant standards in support of the provision laid out in the newly revised EU Energy Labelling legislation stating “Harmonised standards shall aim to simulate real-life usage as far as possible while maintaining a standard test method.” [2]. These standards are the foundation on which robust policies are built, and they require staying up-to-date with technological and behavioural evolution and new features entering the market.

The investigation

A group of NGOs collaborated to study test standards of three popular consumer products: dishwashers, fridge-freezers and televisions. Following European harmonised test standards and implementing deviations from those, the NGOs explored product performance under both standardised test conditions and under conditions that are closer to real life. Only one unit of each model was tested, so the results and process followed do not constitute market surveillance testing and consequently not a compliance check. For this reason, the names of the models tested are not published in the report.

Findings:

The investigation’s key finding is the need to improve test methodologies overall and establish a solid foundation for more representative, more reliable measurements, and better policy measures that depend on those measurements.

Four principal concerns were identified through this research and testing which may be undermining the representativeness and transparency of the energy label:

• Differences in energy consumption between test standards and ones that would reflect better real world usage – this can lead to consumers having a false impression of running costs in the home;
• Test standards that do not keep pace with technological progress – this can prevent the measurement of energy used by these new features, and fail to incentivise manufacturers to make those features energy-efficient;
• Ambiguities in test standards that undermine reproducibility of parameters measured – this can reduce the consistency and accuracy of measurements from different laboratories in Europe; and
• Confusing or non-existent consumer information – this concern centres around a lack of information on energy consumption in the wide range of modes and options available in today’s appliances.

Solutions proposed

The NGOs recommend that the standardisation community, policy-makers, and other stakeholders work together to make improvements in standards for the three product groups investigated (and learn lessons beyond), including;

• Place more emphasis on real world usage patterns for all product standards and give civil society groups a greater say in standard setting. Realistic standards are less vulnerable to software circumvention. Standards should be revised more frequently to keep pace with technological development.
• The energy label should always be based on the most frequently used programme & settings and consumers should be warned about energy impacts when they deviate from them.
• Ensure consumers are given useful information on energy impacts when they change settings and/or update software, and users should always have the option of reverting back to the previous setting.
• National enforcement agencies need greater resources to crack down on free-riders, include the ability to award consumer compensation. Consumer losses currently run to an estimated €10 billion per year in Europe [3].
• Supplement test standards with an additional test defined within real-world boundaries. If the deviation of results between the two is outside acceptable limits, the model is studied further and/or declared non-compliant.

Complementing these recommendations, the NGOs developed a new video test loop for measuring average television power use that is much closer to what is broadcasted today to replace the standardised video which is more than ten years old. We also suggest a test method for measuring automatic brightness control, a feature that adapts the brightness of the screen to the ambient light and allowing energy. These are offered to help strengthen television testing and improve the real-life representativeness of the test.

Senior consultant for Topten, Francisco Zuloaga, said: “People trust the energy label and our work is intended to underpin that, to ensure that ‘what you buy is what you get’. Our study found gaps where things could be strengthened. Policymakers and the standardisation community should quickly adopt our recommendations to help ensure a level playing field for all.”

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Notes

[1] See: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/si…

[2] See: https://www.coolproducts.eu/ne…

[3] See: http://www.web4948.vs.speednam…

The Global LEAP Awards Buyer’s Guide is a catalog of the world’s best off-grid appliances. The 2016 edition contains information about off-grid fans and televisions that were named Winners and Finalists in the 2015-16 Global LEAP Awards. It is designed to serve as a procurement tool for use by off-grid solar companies and other distributors, and to provide general market intelligence to other interested stakeholders. It includes rated product specifications, performance metrics based on laboratory testing, and sales contact information.

The Global LEAP Awards identify one Winner as the best overall product in each category, with other high-quality products in that category identified as Finalists. The 2016 Buyer’s Guide lists these products, and contains a total of 13 off-grid fans and 13 off-grid televisions.

The 2016 Global LEAP Awards Buyer’s Guide is published by Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP), an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) led by the US Department of Energy.

Download the 2016 Global LEAP Awards Buyer’s Guide: Fans and Televisions here.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

In November 2014, the European Commission published its draft update to the 2009 regulation on televisions (EC No 642/2009). The updated requirements were set to apply to televisions, computer monitors and other electronic displays. The requirements however were based on 2014 models, many of which are no longer offered on the market and have been replaced by more efficient models.

CLASP Europe therefore conducted an analysis of the European television market to assess whether the Commission’s proposal from November 2014 was still valid. This work involved creating a new database of 2016 models and then conducting an analysis on appropriate minimum energy performance standards. The report below proposes potential requirements for electronic displays based on this 2016 model database of European televisions, considering three scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Applying the Commission’s most recent (2014) proposed requirements to the new 2016 database. This scenario has separate equations for each of the three Tiers, but has the same efficiency requirement for HD and UHD displays (see Chapter 1);
• Scenario 2: An update to the Commission’s 2014 proposal based on the 2016 database, keeping approximately the same level of ambition (i.e., pass-rates for models). This scenario has one equation for all three Tiers and for HD and UHD displays, but has separate energy-efficiency index (EEI) requirements at Tiers 1, 2 and 3 and for HD and UHD displays (see Chapter 4); and
• Scenario 3: The CLASP recommended option, keeping the same structure as Scenario 2, but having a higher degree of ambition.  This scenario has more ambitious EEI values for Tiers 1,2, 3 and has different requirements for HD and UHD (see Chapter 5).

This report was prepared by Michael Scholand and Marie Baton of the CLASP Europe office, with expert input from Bob Harrison.  An Excel spreadsheet containing the anonymous database of electronic displays in Europe that was used for this analysis is available below.

The Global LEAP Awards is an international competition to identify and promote the world’s best off-grid appliances. The 2016-17 round of competitions identified super-efficient, high quality off-grid flat-panel televisions. By providing the off-grid marketplace clear and actionable signals about the quality and energy performance of off-grid appliances, the Global LEAP Awards accelerate global for off-grid appliance and clean energy system market. This resource provides an overview of the Off-Grid Television Competition.

The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (“Global LEAP”) Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards (“Global LEAP Awards”) seeks to transform the global market for off-grid energy products by recognizing and rewarding the most energy-efficient, highest quality off-grid appliances. As an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial led by the U.S. Department of Energy, and supported by Power Africa and other partners, Global LEAP seeks to advance global clean energy access goals by harnessing the power of marketplace competition to drive technical and market innovations in the off-grid appliance sector.

The third Global LEAP Awards television competition (“Competition”) recognized high-quality, energy efficient, and affordable color televisions that are appropriate for use with off-grid energy systems. The Competition structure is outlined in this resource.

The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP™) Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards Competition (Global LEAP Awards™) seeks to transform the global market for off-grid television products by recognizing and rewarding the most energy-efficient, highest quality off-grid appliances.

As a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative, Global LEAP seeks to advance global clean energy access policy goals by harnessing the power of marketplace competition to drive technical and market innovations in the off-grid appliance sector. The inaugural Global LEAP Awards were announced in May 2014 at the 5th Clean Energy Ministerial in Seoul, Korea. The second Global LEAP Awards were announced in June 2016 at the 7th Clean Energy Ministerial in San Francisco, USA, and featured off-grid televisions and fans.

This competition focused on super-efficient off-grid televisions, which offer significant energy access, environmental and economic development benefits to off-grid populations; future competitions will cover different product categories.

This 4-page document summarizes the findings from The State of the Global Off-Grid Appliance Market 2016 report. This brochure-style guide lays out the landscape of the rapidly evolving off-grid appliance market, diving into the importance of efficiency, market potential, and challenges and opportunities for stakeholders.

Key Takeaway: The global market for off-grid appliances is poised for rapid, significant growth. By 2020, the market for three of the most promising off-grid appliances — fans, televisions, and refrigerators — has the potential to reach $4.7B per year.

The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP™) Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards Competition (Global LEAP Awards™) seeks to transform the global market for off-grid television products by recognizing and rewarding the most energy-efficient, highest quality off-grid appliances. As a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative, Global LEAP seeks to advance global clean energy access policy goals by harnessing the power of marketplace competition to drive technical and market innovations in the off-grid appliance sector.

The inaugural Global LEAP Awards were announced in May 2014 at the 5th Clean Energy Ministerial in Seoul, Korea. This competition focused on super-efficient off-grid televisions, which offer significant energy access, environmental and economic development benefits to off-grid populations; other competitions will cover different product categories. This resource outlines the official rules for the 2015-2016 competition.

The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (“Global LEAP”) Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards (“Global LEAP Awards”) seeks to transform the global market for off-grid energy products by recognizing and rewarding the most energy-efficient, highest quality off-grid appliances. As an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial led by the U.S. Department of Energy, Global LEAP seeks to advance global clean energy access goals by harnessing the power of marketplace competition to drive technical and market innovations in the off-grid appliance sector.

The second Global LEAP Awards television competition (“Competition”) recognized high-quality, energy-efficient, and affordable color televisions that are appropriate for use with off-grid energy systems. The 2015-2016 Off-Grid Television Competition structure is outlined in this resource.

The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP™) Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards Competition (Global LEAP Awards™) seeks to transform the global market for off-grid television products by recognizing and rewarding the most energy-efficient, highest quality off-grid appliances. As a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative, Global LEAP seeks to advance global clean energy access policy goals by harnessing the power of marketplace competition to drive technical and market innovations in the off-grid appliance sector.

The fact sheet below provides a succinct overview of the 2015-2016 Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Television Competition.