Top runner program

A top runner program (also: law, regulation or principle) is a political instrument for increasing energy efficiency . It stipulates that a market overview of electrical appliances , for example , is created on a specific date . The consumption of the most efficient of the sighted devices is then made the industry standard to be achieved at some point in the future, say 5 or 7 years from now. If a manufacturer cannot meet the new efficiency standards after the deadline has expired, he may face fines or even a sales ban, depending on the national structure of the law.

Example Japan

Japan is the most famous country with a top runner regime and introduced it in the late 1990s. This enabled Japan to meet 16% of its greenhouse gas reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol . As examples of increases in efficiency, Greenpeace reported a reduction in power consumption of 59% for video recorders by 59%, for air conditioning systems by 63% and for computers by 83% after a period of 6-8 years in Japan .

Effects

In addition to the climate , consumers , who have to pay lower electricity costs , as well as the economy, which has an innovative lead over competing economies, benefit from a top runner regulation .

The higher innovation costs make the devices more expensive and also the manufacturer's production overall. A national top runner law therefore leads to a competitive disadvantage in the international market compared to countries without comparable regulations in which production can be carried out more cheaply. If the demand for energy-saving devices should increase in these countries later due to new laws or rising energy prices, the effect is reversed because of the innovative advantage.

See also

• Energy saving
• Renewable energy
• Climate protection

literature

• Naturvårdsverket / Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2005): The Top Runner Program in Japan - its effectiveness and implications for the EU . (PDF; 1.0 MB) Report 5515
• Yves Käser: Investigation of the transferability of the Japanese top runner program to Switzerland . (PDF; 3.5 MB) Bachelor thesis, University of Bern (2008).

Web links

• Information on the European top runner strategy. German Energy Agency (dena)
• Energy Efficiency Initiative: Documentation of the Top Runner Workshop on June 29, 2006
• Greenpeace draft for a top runner law in Germany (PDF; 97 kB)
• Coalition wants top runner program . In: The Parliament , May 23, 2005
• Website of the Energy Conservation Center Japan to Top Runner Program (English)

annotation

1. ↑ The competitive disadvantage is reduced or does not arise if the entire life cycle costs are taken into account when making the purchase decision.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ulrich Kelber: TopRunner Approach - Energy Policy Objectives ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) Presentation at the dena Top Runner Workshop on June 29, 2006 
2. ↑ TOP RUNNER - Proposal for an Energy Efficiency Act . ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) Greenpeace, lecture as part of the dena Top Runner Workshop on June 29, 2006