Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|International nonprofit organization}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{primary sources|date=August 2012}}

{{COI|date=August 2012}}

}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = CLASP

(Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program)

| image = CLASP Logo.jpg

| established = 1999

| type = Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization

| purpose = Energy efficiency standards and labeling for appliances, equipment, and lighting

| leader_title = Founding Organizations

| leader_name = Alliance to Save Energy; the International Institute for Energy Conservation; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

| leader_title2 = Board ChairChairman

| leader_name2 = Stephen Wiel

| leader_title3 = Executive Director

| leader_name3 = Christine Egan

| headquarters = [[Washington, DC]], [[United States|USA]]

| website = {{URL|clasp.ngo}}

}}

'''CLASP''' is an international [[nonprofit organization]] which provides technical and policy support to governments worldwide and works to implement energy [[Minimum energy performance standard|efficiency standards]] and labels (S&L) for appliances, lighting, and equipment. It specializes in publishing studies and analyses with relevance to S&L practitioners.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP|url=http://clasp.ngo}}</ref>

'''CLASP''', formerly the '''Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program,''' improves the energy and environmental performance of the appliances & equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world.

CLASPThe organization was created in 1999 as a strategic cooperation of three organizationorganizations – the [[Alliance to Save Energy|Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)]], the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), and [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory|Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)]].<ref>{{cite web|title=LBNL|url=http://eetd.lbl.gov/l2m2/clasp.html}}</ref> It became an independent, non profit [[501(c)(3)]] organization in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=UN Division for Sustainable Development|url=https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/sustdev/csd/csd15/PF/info/C_Egan.pdf|website=sustainabledevelopment.un.org|accessdateaccess-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>

CLASP conducts some of its technical analysis through an international network of partners, who are experts in the various aspects of S&L. Currently, CLASP's network includes over 200 technical experts and S&L practitioners from more than 30 different countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP-Implementing Partners|url=http://www.clasponline.org/RFPsPartnerships/Partnerships/OurPartners/ImplementingPartners}}</ref> Additionally, CLASP collaborates with various international S&L initiatives, such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Energy Standards Information System (APEC ESIS) and [[International Energy Agency]] Efficient Electrical End-Use Equipment (IEA 4E), to facilitate information exchange and connect S&L experts in similar regions or areas of expertise.<ref name="globalresearch">{{cite web|title=Where We Work - Global Research|url=http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork/CurrentProgramLocations/GlobalResearch|access-date=2012-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005071132/http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork/CurrentProgramLocations/GlobalResearch|archive-date=2012-10-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

CLASP joined the ClimateWorks Foundation (CWF) as a Global Best Practice Network (BPN) in March 2009. ClimateWorks' BPNs are institutions staffed by technical and regulatory experts who help design, implement, and enforce policies proven to reduce [[Greenhouse gas emissions|{{CO2}} emissions]]. The ClimateWorks Foundation focuses on the sectors and regions responsible for most of the world's carbon emissions. CLASP, as part of its partnership with ClimateWorks, moved from working exclusively in developing countries to also working in more industrialized economies including the United States and European Union.<ref>{{cite web| title=ClimateWorks Foundation|url=http://www.climateworks.org/}}</ref>

In 2011, CLASP was appointed as the Operating Agent for the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative, a multilateral collaboration initiated by the [[Clean Energy Ministerial]] (CEM) and the [[International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation]] (IPEEC) to transform the global market toward higher [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://superefficient.org/|title=SEAD Initiative}}</ref> SEAD member governments include Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. China participates as an observer.<ref>{{cite web|title=SEAD Initiative|url=http://superefficient.org/en/Regions.aspx}}</ref>

== Our Programs ==

Since 1999, CLASP has worked in over 50 countries on six continents. Some of CLASP's past program locations include Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uruguay.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, Where We Work – Past Program Locations|url=http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork/PastProgramLocations/Overview|access-date=2012-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005065952/http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork/PastProgramLocations/Overview|archive-date=2012-10-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

CLASP currently has programs in China, Brazil, Europe, Southeast Asia, East Africa, India, and the United States,<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, Where We Work|url=http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork|access-date=2012-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005065937/http://www.clasponline.org/WhereWeWork|archive-date=2012-10-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> collaborating with [[policymaker]]s, regulators, and their stakeholders to facilitate the development and

implementation of energy efficiency S&L.

Additionally, CLASP has two global programs—Global Research and the SEAD Initiative—which create original technical research, facilitate information exchange among countries, and disseminate S&L best practices internationally.<ref name="globalresearch"/> In 2021, 15 countries signed SEAD's Product Efficiency Call to Action, which aims to double the efficiency of lighting, residential cooling, residential refrigeration, and industrial electric motor systems globally by 2030.<ref>{{cite web|title=Super-Efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment, Initiatives|url=https://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/initiatives-campaigns/super-efficient-equipment-and-deployment-sead-initiative}}</ref>

==History==

* '''1999''' – CLASP was established by three founding organizations – the Alliance to Save Energy, the International Institute for Energy Conservation, and [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]].

* '''2000''' – CLASP's first website launched in July, 2000.

*'''2002''' – CLASP was registered as a [[World Summit on Sustainable Development]] (WSSD) partnership.

*'''2004''' – From 2000 to 2004, CLASP provided assistance for the development and implementation of 21 new minimum energy performance standards, energy efficiency endorsement labels, and energy information labels that will save 250 megatons of {{CO2}} by 2014.

*'''2005''' – CLASP became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

*'''2007''' – CLASP became the Secretariat of [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] Energy Standards Information System (APEC ESIS) under direction of the APEC ESIS Project Overseers (now Japan) and Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EGEE&C).

*'''2009''' – CLASP joined the ClimateWorks Foundation's network as a Best Practice Network (BPN) in March.

*'''2011''' – CLASP was appointed as the Operating Agent of Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD), a government-led international market transformation initiative for highly efficient appliances and equipment.

*'''2012''' – CLASP website was selected by the 16th Annual Webby Awards as an Official Honoree in the Green category.

==Publications and Tools==

'''Publications'''

* ''Cooling Benchmarking Study''

:CLASP's Global Research team embarked on the development of a series of benchmarking studies in 2010. The first analysis in the series, the Cooling Benchmarking Study, was carried out in partnership with Econoler, Navigant, Centro de Ensayos Innovación y Servicios (CEIS) and the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE), and provides an international comparison of energy efficiency performance and policy measures for room air conditioners used in the residential sector. The study, which was finalized in July 2011, delivers first-of-their-kind conversion formulas to compare seasonal performance metrics of room air conditioners across economies that use different test methods. These formulas enable countries and experts a means to compare the stringency of various S&L programs and to identify opportunities to adopt S&L best practices.

* ''Opportunities for Success and {{CO2}} Savings from Appliance Energy Efficiency Harmonization''

:The study, published in collaboration with Paul Waide of Navigant Consulting, Lloyd Harrington of Energy Efficiency Strategies, and Michael Scholand, conducts an extensive investigation of the energy efficiency standards and labeling programs in place in China, the European Union, India, Japan, and the US. It documents [[Minimum energy performance standard|Minimum Energy Performance Requirements]] for 24 types of residential, commercial, and industrial appliances and equipment in these economies and identifies products with the greatest potential for global harmonization. The study also highlights economy-specific gap analyses, which illustrate gaps in policy coverage and estimate potential energy savings achieved through the adoption of world’s most comprehensive standards.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, CLASP and Navigant Consulting Publish Opportunities for Success and {{CO2}} Savings from Appliance Energy Efficiency Harmonization|url=https://www.clasp.ngo/research/all/energy-efficiency-labels-and-standards-a-guidebook-for-appliances-equipment-and-lighting-2/}}</ref>

CLASP serves as the leading international voice & resource for appliance energy efficiency policies and market acceleration initiatives. From advancing the off-grid solar technologies bringing power to energy-impoverished people, to cutting the catastrophic climate impacts of air conditioning, CLASP programs increase uptake of affordable, low-impact, high-quality appliances.

*''Compliance Counts: A Practitioners Guidebook on Best Practice Monitoring, Verification, and Enforcement (MV&E) for Appliance Standards &Labeling''

:The Guidebook, published in collaboration with Mark Ellis & Associates, is designed as a step-by-step manual for policymakers and S&L program administrators to design and implement a successful compliance regime. Drawing on the experiences of existing S&L programs worldwide, the Guidebook provides different approaches to implementing and improving all aspects of a compliance framework, including establishment of a legal basis for MV&E activities and enforcement options for non-compliance. According to the guidebook, effective compliance regimes: ensure that consumers receive the products they expect when making purchasing decisions; provide industry participants a fair market in which to operate; and safeguard current and future energy and [[greenhouse gas emissions]] savings from S&L programs, among other benefits.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, Compliance Counts: A Practitioner's Guidebook on Best Practice Monitoring, Verification, and Enforcement for Appliance Standards & Labeling|url=https://www.clasp.ngo/research/all/compliance-counts-a-practitioners-guidebook-on-best-practice-monitoring-verification-and-enforcement-for-appliance-standards-labeling-1/}}</ref>

Appliances are a big part of our lives. Smart phones keep us connected. Heating, cooling, and lighting improve productivity and safety. Refrigeration protects the food we harvest and eat.  Without much thought, we interact with energy- and resource-consuming products every day.

*''Energy Efficiency Labels and Standards: A Guidebook for Appliances, Equipment, And Lighting (also available in Chinese, Spanish and Korean)''

:This guidebook is designed as a manual for government officials and others around the world responsible for developing, implementing, enforcing, monitoring, and maintaining energy efficiency labeling and standard-setting programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, S&L Guidebook|url=https://www.clasp.ngo/research/all/s-l-guidebook-english-version/}}</ref>

Though appliances improve lives and livelihoods, they also use energy and other essential resources. Recent analyses indicate that air conditioning, not cars, pose the greatest threat to our planet. As millions of households in developing and emerging economies have the financial resources to control their indoor climate for the first time, the world is poised to install 700 million new room air conditioners by 2030 and 1.6 billion by 2050.  In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, that’s like adding several large countries to the planet.

'''Tools'''

Meanwhile, nearly 3 billion people prepare their meals on inefficient, pre-modern cookstoves, or over open fires, using charcoal and biomass. An estimated 1.2 billion people around the globe lack access to electricity entirely—another billion have only unreliable access. Energy poverty is a major barrier to social and economic development, and the emissions generated by inefficient and dirty cooking and lighting methods pose serious health risks, especially to women and children, and are powerful climate forcers. For most households living beyond the grid, electrification is too long coming, and for most governments, total electrification is far too expensive and resource-intensive.

* '''Mepsy''' (formerly ''Policy Analysis Modeling System (PAMS)'')

On the grid, energy efficient appliances are one of the most cost-effective methods for mitigating climate change. They save money for governments and consumers alike, reduce peak energy demand, and bolster economic and energy security. Off the grid, energy efficient appliances pair with solar-home systems or mini-grids to increase the availability and affordability of energy. Radically reducing the cost of off-grid energy through efficient appliances improves educational, health, and economic outcomes for the world’s poorest people, while moving all of us closer to a cleaner, renewably-powered energy economy.   

:Based on the Policy Analysis Modeling System created by CLASP and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Mepsy is as an easy-to-use software tool to help local policymakers assess the benefit of standards and labeling programs, and to identify the most attractive targets for appliances and efficiency levels.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, Mepsy System|url=http://www.clasp.ngo/tools/mepsy}}</ref>

CLASP was created in 1999 as a strategic cooperation of three organization – the [[Alliance to Save Energy|Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)]], the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).<ref>{{cite web|title=LBNL|url=http://eetd.lbl.gov/l2m2/clasp.html}}</ref> It became an independent, non profit [[501(c)3]] organization in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=UN Division for Sustainable Development|url=https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/sustdev/csd/csd15/PF/info/C_Egan.pdf|website=sustainabledevelopment.un.org|accessdate=5 October 2015}}</ref>

* '''CLASP Policy Resource Center (CPRC)''' (formerly ''Global S&L Database'')

:The CLASP Policy Resource Center is an online resource that allows policy makers and S&L practitioners to compare appliance, lighting, and equipment efficiency policies and regulations across countries and by product; to explore specific information about those policies; and to view and understand the legislative framework and history of S&L by country and economic region.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, CPRC|url=https://www.clasp.ngo/tools/clasp-policy-resource-center/}}</ref>

==What We Do ==

Since 1999, CLASP has worked in over 100 countries on six continents

* '''VeraSol''' (formerly ''Lighting Global Quality Assurance'')

==How We Work==

:VeraSol evolved from Lighting Global Quality Assurance, a quality assurance initiative for off-grid solar products supported by the [[World Bank]]. Products in the database display technical information that can be compared across appliance categories and have been undergone testing in certified laboratories.<ref>{{cite web|title=CLASP, VeraSol Product Database|url=https://www.clasp.ngo/tools/verasol-product-database/}}</ref>

== Our Programs ==

==References==