A new consultation announced today by Government agency, Defra, aims to canvass 213 companies including supermarkets such as Waitrose, Tesco and Asda, energy companies E-on, Npower and British Gas and a range of environmental charities and organisation such as Forum for the Future and WWF.
The consultation process is open until 4th September and invites companies to give their views on proposals for the introduction of a market surveillance body and how minimum energy standards and energy labelling of products available on the high street can be implemented, including the powers an enforcement body should have and the role that businesses would play in testing and enforcing these standards. Businesses are also being asked to provide feedback on draft proposals for 5 key areas responsible for energy use; standby functions on products, external power supplies for products, simpler set top boxes and two areas of lighting – tertiary and household.
Dan Norris, the New Environment Minister said,
“It is really important that we hear from businesses and manufacturers to get a well rounded view of how we can enforce and check on the energy standards of products. These standards can save our economy so much money and can save millions of tonnes of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.”
Defra estimate the savings for the economy by introducing smarter eco-design could amount to as much as £900 million; a significant amount considering current concerns about the recession. In addition, there is the important factor the introduction of policies such as this would be a positive move for the environment, and a much needed step in the right direction for cutting the UK’s carbon emissions.
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Tags: consultation, defra, eco design, economy, energy efficiency, energy efficient, energy laballing enforcement, energy saving