DEAR STAKEHOLDERS,
Strengthening of minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and revision of energy label
VC9008, which sets the compulsory energy performance specifications for specific residential appliances, was introduced in 2014 and came into effect in 2015 and 2016. With your valued support and cooperation significant progress has been achieved by the Standards and Labelling (S&L) programme in yielding large electricity savings for the country and households. Our research has found that the mandatory energy label has been well received by consumers who have found it to be necessary and useful.
International experience shows that MEPS should, on average, be reviewed every five years. The current MEPS were set during a stakeholder consultation process in 2011, over eight years ago. During this period technology advances are delivering appliances with much improved energy performance making many of the MEPS obsolete and necessitating this revision. A study to review the MEPS was undertaken in 2018 and the recommendations were presented to industry – the reports can be accessed here.
The revised MEPS are:
Simultaneously a consumer research study to review the design of the energy label has recently commenced. The rationale and objectives of the study, are:
- The introduction of the QR code on the label which will allow consumers and NRCS and SARS test inspectors to access product information through a smart phone;
- To test whether infographics can be used to replace text. This has been used effectively in the EU where they are also faced with the challenges of multiple official languages;
- Due to technology advances the label has become outdated for certain appliances, such as AC, necessitating a complete redesign; and
- The project, in line with developments in the EU, will be rescaling the energy classes to eliminate A+++, A++, and A+. More information about the EU approach can be found here
A stakeholder meeting will be held on the 13th of November (provisional date) with the Department of Energy, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), the dti and SABS. To ensure a constructive meeting where we can answer questions and concerns, we invite you to complete a questionnaire by clicking on the link below. Please do so as soon as possible to provide us with an opportunity to group and analyse them so we can respond to them at the workshop.
We look forward to your participation. Click here for a signed hard copy of this letter.
To ensure your participation at the stakeholder to be held on the 13th of November 2019 (provisional), please complete the below form.