Industrial products strategy

EECA is inviting feedback on a draft strategy to improve the energy efficiency of industrial products in New Zealand and Australia. This strategy is being developed in conjunction with the Australian government, as part of a joint Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) programme.

The draft strategy is a discussion paper on how industrial products can be made more efficient. It contains ideas on how to implement these efficiencies in Australia and New Zealand. We welcome feedback on these initiatives. Improving the energy efficiency of industrial products may provide significant benefits to business, reducing both energy use and costs. Input at this first stage will help develop the final strategy and define how these initiatives may benefit business.

Download the Industrial Products Strategy discussion paper [Joint Australian/New Zealand energy rating website]

Please email us your feedback by November 12th 2010.

What's included?

The discussion document proposes ways of improving the energy efficiency of new industrial motor-driven equipment such as fans, pumps and air compressors. It also covers process chilling and gas-fuelled equipment such as boilers.

Proposals for achieving efficiency include:

• Exploring the potential for using minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for key items of equipment
• Best practice, maintenance, equipment selection and installation guides.

What are the next steps?

To put these ideas into practice, the next steps are to:

• Seek industry and public feedback on this discussion document
• Develop the final 10-year strategy with input from industry submissions
• Further research and consultation to develop product profiles (market assessment) for the key technologies covered in the strategy
• Development of cost-benefit analyses of any possible MEPS or labelling proposals 
• Public consultation through Regulatory Impact Statements about any possible mandatory measures such as MEPS or labelling, and changes to the appropriate technical Standards
• Recommendations to, and endorsement by the Australian and New Zealand Ministers

If further investigation into MEPS or labelling leads to regulations being proposed, then development and approval is expected to take at least two years, with input sought from stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand. Any regulatory proposal requires New Zealand and Australian Ministerial approval.