Following the Evidence - How quality of appliance components can hint at non-compliance with efficiency requirements
- Improving the energy efficiency of products was identified as the most important short-term opportunity to decrease energy consumption and therefore CO2-emission worldwide. More efficient products are created due to technical innovation. Restricting market access to efficient products only and making the most efficient products stand out by energy labelling are legislative tools to encourage this development. Market surveillance authorities’ checks are fundamental to protect the consumer from wrongly declared goods on the market and ensure fair competition between manufacturers. However, the activities of market surveillance authorities are limited by their financial resources. Testing all product efficiency parameters in an accredited laboratory is very time consuming and cost intensive. In this study, a theoretical concept is presented which can be used to develop screening tests in order to perform product tests by market surveillance authorities with less financial resources. TheImproving the energy efficiency of products was identified as the most important short-term opportunity to decrease energy consumption and therefore CO2-emission worldwide. More efficient products are created due to technical innovation. Restricting market access to efficient products only and making the most efficient products stand out by energy labelling are legislative tools to encourage this development. Market surveillance authorities’ checks are fundamental to protect the consumer from wrongly declared goods on the market and ensure fair competition between manufacturers. However, the activities of market surveillance authorities are limited by their financial resources. Testing all product efficiency parameters in an accredited laboratory is very time consuming and cost intensive. In this study, a theoretical concept is presented which can be used to develop screening tests in order to perform product tests by market surveillance authorities with less financial resources. The method identifies components which lead to non-compliance or make a product less energy efficient with minimum effort. The concept is based on a combination of random product tests, dismantling specific products and comparing components. This represents a new approach in product testing procedures beyond the current market surveillance activities. The concept is being tested within a research project funded by the German government.…