EAC begins the Process of Harmonizing Energy Efficiency Standards for Lighting and other Appliances

The Eastern African region has begun the process of developing harmonized Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). This is being done under the project ‘Energy Efficient Lighting and Appliances for Eastern and Southern Africa (EELA)”.  The overall objective of this regional EELA project is to improve access to sustainable energy to all, and mitigate negative externalities of the energy system.

One of the outputs of the EELA project is the ‘Establishment of regionally harmonized Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS)’ for lighting and appliances for both SADC and EAC, which has been achieved. To achieve this regional Technical Committees have been set up for both SADC and EAC. The Technical Committee for Development of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for Lighting and Appliances in the East African Community (EAC) Region was inaugurated at their first meeting held at Laico Regency Hotel, Nairobi on November 29, 2019. The first Technical Committee Meeting was organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in collaboration with the EAC, EACREEE and SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (SACREEE).

The objective and mandate of establishment of the Standards Technical Committees is for the development of regionally harmonized Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for lighting and appliances for both SADC and EAC regions and facilitating adoption of these at national level.

For the EAC region, the Technical Committee comprises:

1. Representative form the Ministry of Energy preferably dealing with Energy Efficiency and the EELA Focal Person

2. Representative from the Standards Body conversant with Standards formulation process

3. A Representative of Regional Energy Regulators Association (EREA)

4. A representative of the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP).

5. Other stakeholder representatives for the appliance being considered

• Manufacturer’s representative
• Private Sector Association representative from East African Renewable Energy Federation (EAREF)
• Consumer Protection association/NGO representative
• Development partners African Union Commission (AUC), World Bank, United for Efficiency (U4E)
• CLASP and Swedish Energy Agency (SEA)

The Technical Committees will work in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the EASC and will meet on a regular basis to develop regionally harmonized MEPS. It was noted that Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have developed MEPS for a number of appliances and in different stages of implementation/enforcement. The harmonization process will involve brining all these standards on the table, together with international standards and reviewing to come with a common standard acceptable to all the Partner States. Once the harmonized standards are approved, Partner States would then be given up to 6months to amend any conflicting standards.

The Technical Committee for the EAC Region has been established within the framework of the East African Standards Committee (EASC). The Technical Committee for the SADC region is part of SADC Southern Cooperation in Standardization (SADCSTAN), which held their inaugural meeting on 27^th November in Lusaka, Zambia.

The EELA project aims to support the development of vibrant markets for energy efficient lighting and appliances across East and Southern Africa. This project will bring regional support to private sector-led activities that will lead to increased use of energy efficient high-quality lighting and appliances through regional regulatory and trade harmonization interventions; while also considering inclusiveness of all project activities to assure socially sustainable project outcomes. The project is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and executed in collaboration with EACREEE and SACREEE). Technical support is provided by the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) and CLASP. The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Corporation (Sida).