Energy efficiency standards and labelling in Latin America – the issue of alignment and harmonisation

Descargar archivo

Documento de sesión:

8th International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting – EEDAL 2015, Lucerne, Switzerland, 26-28 August 2015 (en inglés)

Autor: W.F. Lutz

Following early programmes in Brazil (since 1984) and Mexico (since 1992), energy efficiency standards and labelling schemes have been implemented in most countries of Latin America.

Despite of several efforts over the past decades to create harmonised standards and labelling schemes, Latin America presents a heterogeneous picture, with major differences between Mexico and Central America on the one side and South America on the other. Yet, also within the South American sub-region many smaller, yet important, differences between the schemes of individual countries exist. These differences, which indicate a lack of coordination among the efforts of each country, are not conducive to regional, or even sub-regional harmonisation.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on this reality, by addressing the following issues: First, an overview on energy efficiency standards and labelling programmes will be given, focussing on Brazil, Mexico and other countries in the Southern Cone and Andean sub-regions. For each national programme, measurement standards, labelling standards and regulations, and MEPS will be addressed. Second, the degree of alignment of the various national schemes with international and other reference standards; regional labelling schemes, like European Union regulations, the US standards and labelling programme and other national programmes in the Region, and the status of MEPS will be addressed. Third, the findings will be discussed with regard to several aspects, including the technical quality of the standards and regulations, the process and methodology of establishing them and the level of ambition, and conclusions will be presented.

The paper builds on two decades of involvement of the author in EE S&L programmes in Latin America, as well as recent research.

See the proceedings of EEDAL 2015.