UN Environment Agency Releases Guidelines For Lighting Energy Efficiency

UN Environment Agency releases guidelines for lighting energy efficiency

On May 21st, at the Global Energy Efficiency Forum held in Copenhagen, UNEP’s Joint Energy Efficiency Initiative (U4E) released a “Model Regulation Guideline” for developing countries/emerging countries (hereinafter referred to as “Guidelines for Lighting Energy Efficiency”). ). This guide was jointly formulated by public welfare organizations and private companies that agreed with the goal of “speeding up toward efficient lighting”.

Developing countries/emerging countries, such as South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey, can use the UNEP energy efficiency guidelines to phase out inefficient lighting. China's lighting energy efficiency standards have reached the international advanced level, so they are not being promoted.

By 2030, it is expected to save 18 billion U.S. dollars and reduce 160 million tons of carbon emissions.

With the support of the UN Environment Agency, the NRDC, Sinomax (“Philips Lighting”) and other partners have jointly developed this guide, which is a model for PPP cooperation.

Mark Radka, head of the Energy and Climate Division at UNEP, said: “This lighting energy efficiency guide can help participating countries meet environmental goals, protect public health, and save money. This is a model of cooperation between the private sector and environmental organizations.”

"Approximately 15% of the world's electricity is used for lighting. With the economic development, the lighting demand is also increasing. If the developing countries and emerging countries switch to energy-saving LED lighting, it is estimated that the annual savings of 18 billion US dollars, and reduce 160 million tons of carbon emissions, so the electricity saved is equivalent to Mexico's electricity consumption for one year."

A quick and economical way to reduce carbon emissions and reduce grid stress is to switch to energy-efficient LED lighting. Noah Horowitz, director of the Energy Efficiency Standards Center at the National Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said: "Effective energy saving through changing lighting methods is a 'low hanging fruit' and the goal is easy to achieve. LED lamps can save up to 90% energy compared to traditional incandescent lamps."

Harry Verhaar, head of global government and public affairs at Sinocraft ("Philips Lighting"), said that the release of the guide is just the right time.

“In the past decade, the sales of incandescent light bulbs have dropped from 12 billion to 2 billion, a reduction of 80%. This guide is of great importance to developing countries and emerging countries where incandescent lamps are still widely used.”

This lighting energy efficiency guide includes all the basic elements, including product range, definition, test methods, minimum energy efficiency, minimum performance requirements, and market supervision to ensure consumer satisfaction with LED light bulbs. This guide will help simplify the deployment, adoption, and implementation of lighting energy efficiency standards and will be promoted in countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Learning from countries that implement the guide will also reduce trade barriers and provide opportunities for resource sharing such as equipment testing.