CLASP Co-hosts Conformity Assessment Best Practice Workshop with APERC
In April, CLASP and the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) co-hosted a Conformity Assessment Workshop, the third in APERC’s Energy Efficiency Policy Workshop series, in Washington, DC.
The Conformity Assessment (CA) Workshop advised policymakers on the value of CA to national energy efficiency compliance programs, introduced CA best practices and approaches, and examined case studies of existing CA programs in Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) economies. The workshop provided a forum for APEC stakeholders to delve deeply into these topics, and to identify shared concerns as well as opportunities for future collaboration.
Ten APEC economies, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Vietnam, and the United States, were represented at the workshop. The diverse and comprehensive training program included presentations by CLASP, APEC country representatives, and experts from International Federation of Inspection Authorities, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and Underwriter Laboratories.
The workshop was held alongside the APEC Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EGEE&C) 51st Meeting. The US Department of Energy’s Elena Thomas-Kerr welcomed workshop participants and Dr. Pengcheng Li of the China National Institute of Standardization, Chair of the EGEE&C, provided opening remarks on the three essential focus areas in energy efficiency – capacity building, financing and policy evaluation. Dr. Kazumoto Irie of APERC also spoke, introducing the topic of CA.
CLASP compliance expert Nicole Kearney started the workshop by introducing participants to CA and the critical role it plays in safeguarding potential energy efficiency savings. Strong CA programs utilize product testing by accredited laboratories, certification and registration to ensure that regulated products perform as claimed. Robust CA provides higher confidence that products on the market are compliant, and is often the first step in effective market surveillance.
During CA Workshop discussions, participants from APEC economies shared that investment in market surveillance efforts may be postponed due to resource limitations. An advantage of requiring 3rd party conformity assessment in compliance frameworks is that it can enable economies to reduce reliance on high-cost post-market surveillance activities. Compliance is important in safeguarding the potential savings of efficiency standards and labeling policies.
The CA Workshop was funded by the APEC Secretariat. For additional information, read the APEC Energy Working Group’s workshop report and explore CLASP’s compliance resources.
