Energy-efficiency labeling programs aim to shift markets for energy-using products and appliances toward the global goal of improved energy efficiency.
CLASP supports and furthers the global energy efficiency S&L effort by assisting countries, regulatory bodies and policy makers with label design, developing and revising labeling thresholds, consumer comprehension and awareness initiatives, and label evaluation.
For examples of labels, visit Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labels.
Label Design
CLASP provides energy efficiency label design and research support to countries, regulatory bodies and policy makers developing or administering energy efficiency labeling programs. CLASP assists countries, regulatory bodies and policy makers with researching label design issues such as label visibility, placement, readability, and cultural appropriateness; working with stakeholders in the label design process; and choosing between endorsement energy efficiency labels and comparative energy efficiency labels based on their respective advantages, disadvantages, and potential savings.
CLASP advises governments, regulatory bodies and policy makers that when choosing an energy efficiency labeling plan, endorsement labels can be understood to function like a seal of approval indicating that a product meets certain specified criteria while comparative energy efficiency labels provide information on the energy-performance for all products of a class. Comparative energy labels are designed to allow consumers to compare energy use among available models and make an informed product choice. Additionally, countries may choose to use either endorsement energy efficiency labels or comparative energy efficiency labels or they may use both types of labels in strategic ways for different categories of products.
Developing and Revising Labeling Thresholds
Energy efficiency labels include labeling thresholds to communicate that products meet efficiency and performance levels. CLASP assists countries, regulatory bodies and policy makers with the ongoing process of developing and revising labeling thresholds. Efficiency thresholds for labels usually need to be revised every three to five years. Technical requirements vary between endorsement and comparative energy efficiency labels. For endorsement labels, a detailed analysis is needed to establish the performance threshold for a high-efficiency portion of the market. For comparative labels, product distribution data must be analyzed to develop the threshold values for each product category.
Consumer Comprehension & Awareness
Effective energy efficiency labeling programs require a communications campaign to support consumer awareness, acceptance and use of labels. CLASP assists countries, regulatory bodies and policy makers with increasing the consumer comprehension and awareness of energy efficiency labeling through launching information and education campaigns. Energy efficiency label information campaigns are generally significant undertakings that involve designing information channels, creating evaluation tools, pre-testing all the elements of the campaign, and continuously evaluating and refining the campaign based on consumer response.
Label Evaluation
CLASP also conducts, funds and facilitates research on consumer comprehension of energy labels after the labels have been launched in the marketplace. CLASP consumer comprehension studies attempt to provide in-depth insights into how consumers understand the label; how the label information informs consumer choice and decision making; what inferences consumers are able to make based on the information provided on the label; and how successful was the label as an information and market transformation tool.
Example: CLASP Proposes Changes to the EnergyGuide Label
CLASP facilitated a group effort to influence the new EnergyGuide rulemakings for TVs and Lighting in the US. Through CLASP's coordination efforts, standards and labeling experts from throughout the US composed and submitted technical analysis to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during the rulemaking process for updates to the EnergyGuide label. The FTC subsequently adopted many of the group’s label design suggestions including increased label size and consistency of label placement, which improves consumer comprehension and label visibility. Read more.