30 April 2012: The Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme (CREDP) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have officially launched an Energy Efficiency Promotion Project.

The launch took place during a workshop, which convened from 26-27th April 2012, in Castries, Saint Lucia.

Co-financed by the European Union / Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (EU/ACP) Energy Facility, German International Cooperation (GIZ) and the OECS Secretariat, the project will develop norms, standards and energy efficiency ratings and labels in the six OECS countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and Grenadines). A primary focus of the project will be to raise public awareness of the energy efficiency of electrical appliances, particularly among those most affected by high energy costs, and youth.

The first day of the workshop focused on policy implications of the project and the need for consistent support from OECS governments. The second day discussed, and agreed in principle on, the current and expected role of the OECS Bureau of Standards (BoS) in developing the energy efficiency norms and a joint work programme for the project’s implementation.

CREDP is a joint project of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and GIZ that seeks to remove barriers for the use of renewable energy and application of energy efficiency measures in the Caribbean. [CREDP Press Release]