Enhancing Vanuatu’s market for energy efficient appliances
The Republic of Vanuatu, a small island country located in the South Pacific Ocean, has set ambitious targets of reaching 100% renewable energy for electricity production by 2030, requiring 15% energy savings through energy efficiency measures. However, progress towards achieving such measures requires effective policies, relevant legislation, information-based planning, and private sector participation, amongst others, to facilitate activities towards meeting the national energy targets.
The urban household appliance and energy use survey in 2013 indicated that many appliances currently used in households, including refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and lighting products are outdated and highly inefficient. Therefore, Vanuatu has introduced legislation on labeling and standards for appliances with the assistance of the Pacific Community (SPC) Pacific Appliance and Labeling Standards (PALS) Project (2012 – June 2019). The labeling and standards regulations were adopted in 2017 and has since been implemented and enforced. However, the impact of the programme to the nation has not been quantified, and the effectiveness has been undermined by a missing monitoring, evaluation and enforcement plan, as well as missing financial schemes to incentivise the uptake in households.
The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) will provide support to Vanuatu to help conduct a technical market and policy assessment in order to identify challenges and bottlenecks to the effectiveness of the standards and labeling programme, and support the introduction of a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and enforcement plan as well as of targeted financial mechanisms to accelerate the uptake of energy efficient appliances in Vanuatu.
This technical assistance will contribute to the transition to energy efficient appliances (household refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and lighting products) by making the current standards and labeling programme for appliances more efficient. Vanuatu will be able to increase the enforcement of and compliance with standards and labeling legislation. The identified financing mechanisms will accelerate the purchase of energy efficient appliances by offering incentives to consumers.
You can read more about this by visiting the CTCN technical assistance for projects here.
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Tina Fawcett
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