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Documents from the forum are available for download at the bottom of this page.
On 9 April 2002, the National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Committee (NAEEEC) held its fifth annual stakeholder forum at the Millennium Hotel in Sydney.
NAEEEC is a committee of Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand government officials charged with promoting both the manufacture of energy efficient products by suppliers and the marketing of these products to consumers. Its stakeholders are companies and individuals with an interest in end-use product energy efficiency.
This annual forum provides an opportunity for NAEEEC to release its plans for the next year and inform stakeholders of achievements and developments. Just as importantly, the forum provides an opportunity for stakeholders to respond.
Almost 80 participants attended Energy Efficiency 2002 throughout the day representing industry, regulators, Commonwealth and State government agencies, testing authorities and consultants.
The format of the forum involved two key industry speakers, leading then into four workshops to promote discussion and provide opportunities for participants to express their views on relevant issues. The final session captured and reviewed the outcomes of the day.
The workshops consisted of four topics:
The introductory session involved two speakers. The first was Bryan Douglas, Deputy Executive Director of the Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (AEEMA) who set the scene by highlighting the fact that consumers should be aware of energy efficiency and companies need to demonstrate good corporate citizenship credentials. Bryan made comment on the Australian And New Zealand (NZ) alignment targeting Water Heaters and NZ attempting to limit installation against the spirit and intent Of the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA). His presentation also reminded the forum that voluntary programs were considered an important vehicle in the education of industry and influencing purchasing decisions.
NAEEEC believed the four themes reflected topical issues of interest to stakeholders.
Theme 1. Appliance MEPS Proposals (single phase air conditioners, clothes washers & clothes dryers):
The aim of this workshop is to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to comment on the government agency proposals for MEPS for selected household appliances. Later in 2002, NAEEEC will commence a formal process to gather views on the MEPS proposals. This workshop is a preliminary foreshadowing not replacing the more formal consultation process.
Air Conditioners:
It was identified that existing energy testing (where energy consumption is measured while the unit operates at its maximum cooling capacity at Test Condition T1 in AS/NZS 3823) may not adequately or fairly represent actual air conditioning performance due to different climatic zones within Australia. Other impacting influences include variable speed drives that are able to optimise energy use over the whole operating cycle and the delay in the changeover of voltage supply from 240V to 230V.
It was agreed that an important factor to setting MEPS levels included the relationship between energy efficiency and price in the form of thermal design so air conditioners would remain affordable. If MEPS were set too high, the high-price inverter models may be the only models available on the market. There were conflicting views on the strength of the link between efficiency and price with some saying that price increases in direct proportion to efficiency while other said that market data showed no evidence of any clear link.
The workshop highlighted the following approaches to MEPS setting:
It was concluded that there was no dissent from the study recommendations to progress MEPS for single-phase air conditioners, and work could proceed on considering possible MEPS options.
Clothes Washers
It was confirmed that there are problems with the energy test in the form of:
It was suggested at the workshop that the apparent deterioration of sales-weighted energy efficiency for top loaders units in the last year or two is due to the increasing market share of impeller models (which consume more energy per kg wash load than agitator models) rather than to the tendency to higher claimed capabilities, as suggested in the study. It was also noted that if water efficiency was taken into account, the focus would not be on front loaders, but on top loaders.
It was concluded that:
Clothes Dryers
It was generally conceded that the energy test for clothes dryers had been improved since 1993 and is generally repeatable. However, the following comments were made:
It was agreed that the best way to reduce dryer energy consumption is by having a clothes washer with good spin drying performance. Therefore it was concluded that there was little to no support for developing MEPS for clothes dryers.
Theme 2. Best Practice Lighting Program (beyond MEPS on ballasts and lamps)
The workshop would focus on three broad issues. The first aim was to consider the broad policy approach that government energy efficiency agencies should adopt for best practice energy efficiency initiatives.
The second aim was to apply this generic approach to a commercial segment, namely lighting.
The third aim was to inform participants of the status of regulators plans to implement MEPS on commercial ballasts and on commercial lamps.
Peter Haenke summarised the regulators plans to introduce MEPS on commercial lighting ballasts and lamps, with a planned introduction on 1 January 2003.
There were a number of presenters such as Jeff Burgess from Pierlite and Peter Szental from SEIA who provided detailed information on Luminaire efficiency and commercial lighting programs.
The discussions included what role the government might play in the development and delivery of an effective best practice program for lighting. Topics included leadership, program funding, and credibility with industry.
The role of industry was considered, adding technical expertise, and an understanding of financial impact and barriers, as well as providing a conduit to feedback from the market and encourage Industry Association assistance.
A number of other issues were raised during the discussion concerning:
The session was considered a success and provided both presenters and participants with some valuable information and feedback.
Theme 3. Best Practice Programs: Air Conditioners (beyond MEPS)
The workshop aim was to:
The workshop included a presentation on the future of regulations for MEPS for air conditioning and a summary of the AIRAH energy efficiency program.
The focus of the workshop was targeted at how, in 2002, mandatory and voluntary MEPS and labelling programs would apply to air conditioners:
The government is proposing to make the mandatory measures more stringent by:
The workplace discussion centred on three key issues:
Theme 4. Standby Power Consumption
The workshop commenced with a background presentation on the issue of standby power consumption of household appliances. Standby first became an issue in the mid 1990's when it became apparent that there was a proliferation of household products that used power while they were nominally "off" or asleep. The International Energy Agency held a number of workshops on standby from the late 1990's to draw attention to the issue and eventually adopted the concept of a "1 Watt" standby target for all appliances and equipment.
Australian governments were the first to formally adopt this 1 Watt target. Measurements suggest that standby is now more than 10% of electricity consumption and growing rapidly. The IEC is now developing test methods for the measurement of standby.
The existing program measures were then discussed.
Energy Star
The workshop learned that one of the existing program measures to address standby for selected appliances and equipment was the Energy Star program. Energy Star is an endorsement labelling scheme that includes maximum standby requirements for some product types. Australia is a partner of US EPA (the program originator) along with Japan, Europe, Taiwan, New Zealand and Canada. The program for office equipment was commenced in 1996 in NSW and was extended nationally in 1999. The program now covers home electronics (TVs. VCRs, stereos, home entertainment) and there are now 26 manufacturing partners within the program.
The workshop learned that the Phillips group is undertaking a communication strategy for the Energy Star program in Australia. This is made up of a number of elements:
In Store Standby Survey 2002
A baseline study of standby power consumption in Australia in 2000 found that around 11% of residential electricity was consumed by appliances and equipment when in standby (in sleep or off modes). The survey used a sample of 61 households and accurate measurements were taken on 2500 products. The study estimated that standby could be growing as fast as 7% per annum in Australia.
Part of this survey included a telephone survey of 801 households to establish the ownership of a range of products that were likely to have standby power consumption. Standby power measurements were also conducted on 531 new appliances in retail stores in early 2001.
In order to track changes in standby power consumption of new products, NAEEEC decided to commission an annual survey of retailers. In February 2002 a total of 637 products were measured with an accurate power meter in various power modes. The survey found that there was a slight improvement in standby compared to the 2001 survey results, although it is now common for many products to have no hard "off" switch, which means that they tend to consume some power continuously The report found that there was an opportunity for many appliances to improve energy consumption in both standby and off modes. Despite the improvements in some areas, some products groups have very poor standby power profiles (eg integrated stereo equipment).
NAEEEC will be commissioning ongoing surveys to track progress by industry to reduce standby power as part of its standby power plan.
Proposed Policy Measures:
The workshop considered a range of potential policy measures that are being considered by NAEEEC. These included:
The workshop felt that these proposed measures were reasonable if implemented with adequate consideration and consultation.
Discussion
There was a wide ranging discussion on the issue of standby power. It was noted that power supplies are now ubiquitous and many of these have a poor standby power profile. Pay TV/digital boxes and decoders also have poor standby power profiles and are growing in penetration.
Some participants felt that consumers should be encouraged to turn products off at power point - in contrast some felt that although this was a good idea, it can be very inconvenient and difficult and it was unclear whether such behaviour would persist. It was noted that consumer usage patterns are important (plug/unplug/off) and that this varies by product type.
Some felt that there was a need to promote issue of standby power and to educate consumers in this regard. But an alternative view was expressed that consumers need empowerment to reduce standby - raising awareness without ability to respond is potentially frustrating and dangerous. Some consumers get depressed when they realise they have a house full a appliances that cannot easily be switched off. It was generally agreed that there is a need to create a demand for low standby products in the market.
The Energy Star program is currently a vehicle for manufacturers to market good standby performance for selected product types. Most participants felt that this opportunity should be taken up wherever possible. However, it was noted that Energy Star only currently covers standby requirements for a limited range of products at this stage and that the specifications used in Australia are "international". The program does not yet cover "Off Mode" power consumption at this stage (except for photocopiers) but off mode requirements are being considered for a number of products as their Energy Star specifications are being revised.
Conclusions
There was general agreement that standby is a significant and growing problem in the residential sector. It is also likely to be a problems in the commercial sector as well, but this is yet to be quantified. The program measures proposed by NAEEEC were generally accepted as a reasonable government response to the problem, although specific program measures would have to be considered on a case by case basis for each product.
Manufacturers were obviously aware of the issues and in many cases had solutions in the market place or at least on their drawing boards, but there appeared to be little marketability of low standby at this stage. Market pull for low standby appeared small at this stage. There was general agreement that more consumer information would help improve the situation, but this needs to directed and targeted so that it creates a demand for products with low standby power consumption for it to be effective.
The standby issue is still a new one and both industry and government are in the learning phase with regard to program measures and responses.
The publications from the forum are available for downloading as PDF files. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view these files. To download and save the file on your local computer right click the link and "Save Target As". If you are unable to access this document, please contact The Australian Greenhouse Office to organise a suitable alternative format.
NAEEEP Consultation Forum 2002 - Summary of Proceedings (2002-forumsummary.pdf - 97 Kb) Invitation to 2002 Forum (2002-forumprogram.pdf - 112 kb) Energy Star handout (2002-energystarhandout.pdf - 67 kb) Workshop 1 - Appliance MEPS Proposals (2002-workshop1.pdf - 132 kb) Workshop 2 - Best Practice Programs - Lighting (2002-workshop2.pdf - 169 kb) Workshop 3 - Best Practice Programs for Airconditioning (2002-workshop3.pdf - 134 kb) Workshop 4 - Standby Power Consumption (2002-workshop4.pdf - 164 kb)This page last modified 27 June 2007
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