Energy performance improvements in consumer products are an essential element in any government’s portfolio of energy efficiency and climate change mitigation programs. Governments need to develop balanced programs, both voluntary and regulatory, that remove cost-ineffective, energy-wasting products from the marketplace and stimulate the development of cost-effective, energy efficient technology. Energy efficiency labels and standards for appliances, equipment, and lighting products deserve to be among the first policy tools considered by a country’s energy policy makers. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and several other organizations identified on the cover of this guidebook recognize the need to support policy makers in their efforts to implement energy efficiency standards and labeling programs and have developed this guidebook, together with the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP), as a primary reference.

This second edition of the guidebook was published four years after the first edition, with a significant contribution from many authors and reviewers. Their diligent participation helps maintain this book as the international guidance tool it has become. The lead authors would like to thank the members of the Communications Office of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for their support in the development, production, and distribution of the guidebook.

This guidebook is designed as a manual for government officials and others around the world responsible for developing, implementing, enforcing, monitoring, and maintaining labeling and standards-setting programs. It discusses the pros and cons of adopting energy efficiency labels and standards and describes the data, facilities, and institutional and human resources needed for these programs. It provides guidance on the design, development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of the programs and on the design of the labels and standards themselves. In addition, it directs the reader to references and other resources likely to be useful in conducting the activities described and includes a chapter on energy policies and programs that complement appliance efficiency labels and standards.

The contents of the S&L Guidebook are listed below.

• Full Guidebook
• Cover Page 
• Front Matter: Table of Contents, List of Authors, List of Figures, List of Tables 
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Energy-Efficiency Labels and Standards: An Overview
• Table 2.1: The Status of Energy-Efficiency Labels and Standards (as of September 2004)
• Chapter 3: Deciding Whether and How to Implement Energy Labels and Standards
• Chapter 4: Energy Testing for Appliances
• Chapter 5: Designing and Implementing a Labeling Program
• Chapter 6: Analyzing and Setting Standards
• Chapter 7: Designing and Implementing Communications Campaigns for Labeling and Standards-Setting Programs
• Chapter 8: Ensuring the Integrity of Labeling and Standards-Setting Programs
• Chapter 9: Evaluating the Impact of Labeling and Standards-Setting Programs
• Chapter 10: Energy Programs and Policies that Complement Labels and Standards
• Back Matter: Acronyms, Glossary, and References

Lead Authors: Stephen Wiel and James E. McMahon