30 August 2012: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Implementing Agreement on Efficient Electrical End-Use Equipment (4E) has released a report, titled “Technology-Forcing Standards for Energy Efficiency,” which assesses current uses of technology-forcing standard (TFS) and provides recommendations for further development.

The report considers TFS as one approach to overcoming market failures that have prevented cost-effective efficiency savings for electrical end-use equipment to be realized. The report finds that a wide variety of definitions for TFS exists and concludes from recent applications of TFS in the US, the EU and Japan that flexibility in implementation, strong public support, and industry cooperation are crucial.

The report also discusses: types of TFS that are likely to be more effective in stimulating energy efficiency in appliances and equipment; product types where TFS may be more appropriate in the short term; potential target performance levels at the product and energy service level; and technical and public policy risks that accompany TFS.

The report concludes by recommending that: the concept of TFS be further defined as applied to end-use electrical energy efficiency equipment issues; TFS should be benchmarked against past regulatory interventions; and that more discussion is needed regarding the use of TFS as an appropriate policy tool.

The IEA 4E is a forum established by thirteen countries to formulate policies that increase production and trade in efficient electrical end-use equipment. The countries that are involved are: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, and the US. [Publication: Technology-Forcing Standards for Energy Efficiency]