Website: www.ceecap.org
Summary
The CEECAP - Implementing EU Appliance Policy in Central and Eastern Europe project aimed at supporting Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in creating suitable conditions for implementing appliance labelling and efficiency policies in accordance with EU Appliance efficiency legislation and programmes. The project started in early 2006 and lasted for 30 months. It was carried out in 6 countries of CEE (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). SEVEn from the Czech Republic was the coordinator of the project. Main activities included the identification of the national experts and decision makers and their training and cooperation, design and preparation of national appliance labelling and efficiency actions, identification of key problems and initiation of action to solve them in collaboration with the project target groups, and the international and local knowledge transfer. Under the project, awareness of major stakeholders on correct labelling has been strengthened, close cooperation with retailer and consumer associations as well as public authorities and energy utilities established. On the other hand, the verification procedures still remain to be strengthened in the CEE countries.
Results
The aim of the project was to motivate target groups for their own action. Stakeholders were therefore addressed through various means in order to increase their awareness of EU labelling requirements. A close cooperation between CECED and SEVEn was established. Based on training and presentation materials developed by SEVEn, CECED now continues to pass the knowledge on proper labelling and other requirements on their own retailer trainings in the Czech Republic.
As an example of a general dissemination activity, 560 000 leaflets have been distributed to Prague households, in cooperation with the Prague Energy utility. Related to this, positive side-effect of the enhanced information activity was increased interest and involvement of media and journalists, who became more willing to report about the appliance labelling; thus bringing visibility and importance to the issue.
Importantly, an Internet guide was developed in collaboration with the association of internet based retailers. It was distributed among the most important internet stores. Given the increasing share of internet shops, in which the consumer can not see the labels before purchase, the brochure provided an important, highly useful and needed information source.
Overall, the relations among stakeholders have been strengthened and appliance energy efficiency is now on the agenda in day-to-day business operations of the target organisations. Similarly, productive contacts with the government and market stakeholders have been established, the appliance labelling and its impacts on energy efficiency were discussed in the framework of the Czech national Energy Efficiency Action Plan (in response to European Directive on energy services).
Another level of cooperation included the exchange of information among the project partners and international organisations. These include the EnR Labelling and Ecodesign working group, International Energy Agency, Clasp etc.
Lessons learned and repeatability
The results of this project clearly demonstrate that in every country it is possible to establish successful mechanisms for the promotion of energy-efficient appliances, using EU standards and labels. The joint promotion of efficient appliances with utilities and the education of retailers jointly with manufacturers have proven to be a formula for success. The project has also demonstrated that countries can, within just a few years, improve compliance with energy labelling requirements in shops if they design and implement a programme for this. Countries aiming to improve the implementation of energy labels should pay attention to:
Verification of energy performance declarations or label classes, eg. testing of appliances, remained a point of concern though € no country in the project has yet developed a functioning approach for that. Nevertheless, throughout the course of the project several recommendations emerged. It became clear that despite EU legislation the major responsibility stays with the individual countries. Crucial factor is to secure access to qualified test laboratories, the verification procedure should be simplified and check tests performed. Importantly, suppliers should be required to provide information about the basis for the claimed energy performance of products.
Verification and enforcement remain the points for further improvement and close attention should be paid to them in any other country which is willing to establish an efficiently functioning labelling system.
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Appliances
: Citizens
: Decision Makers
: Energy Efficiency
: Households
: Industry
: Local Government
: ManagEnergy
: Regional Government
: Regulatory framework
: Training
: User behaviour
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