As the Operating Agent for the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, CLASP uses its extensive experience in energy efficiency S&L to support international SEAD activities. CLASP provides strategic advice to SEAD leaders on the development of program strategies and facilitates the five SEAD Working Groups, whose activities include procurement, technical analysis, standards and labeling, awards, and incentives.
The SEAD initiative is a government-led international market transformation effort for highly efficient appliances and equipment. SEAD – which was launched at the first Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in Washington, D.C. in July 2010 – includes the member governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
SEAD appointed CLASP as the Operating Agent in 2011. CLASP's objective as the Operating Agent is to support participating governments in achieving program goals. CLASP provides technical and programmatic support to the SEAD Leadership Council and International Steering Committee and facilitates SEAD activities on standards and labels, awards, incentives, procurement, and technical analysis.
CLASP supports the SEAD initiative and participating governments through documentation and dissemination of S&L best practices; facilitation of collaborative policy dialogue; and provision of rigorous technical analysis policy recommendations.
CLASP and its implementing partners have recently supplied S&L practitioners and stakeholders with several analytical tools to further the SEAD agenda. These include an energy and cost-savings calculator to aid governments in the procurement of energy efficient street lighting and a robust tool for projecting and measuring the impact of new S&L policies – the Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS).