Interdisciplinary Research on Energy Efficiency Standards and Climate Change Mitigation: Methods, Results, and Communication

Energy efficiency regulations are one of the important policy packages employed for climate mitigation. Recent evaluations from the USA and the European Union (EU) indicate that the setting of minimum mandatory energy performance standards (MEPS) for different products—such as electric motors, TVs, and dishwashers—are among the best-performing climate policies and that these regulations are also cost-effective. In the EU, MEPS are adopted under the Ecodesign Directive. Despite the positive evaluations, MEPS have also come under criticism from media and some researchers, questioning their unintended effects and their cost-effectiveness. This chapter reflects the research of a five-year, interdisciplinary research program (2013–2018) which researched the effects and potential of the Ecodesign Directive. Multiple methods were employed in the project, which have resulted in various insights. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the main experiences with this interdisciplinary research project, including the variety of research methods, the ways the results have been communicated to policymakers and other actors outside academia, and the need for future research to better understand the interactions between resource efficiency and climate mitigation in the context of product regulation. Two issues of high importance in the climate change mitigation research arena are highlighted. The first issue concerns the need for research that looks at interactions between energy efficiency and resource efficiency in the case of MEPS, and the need to develop new methods and approaches. Secondly, in the case of the “policy mix” for effective climate mitigation, there is a need to develop new theories, and also to consider the political feasibility of proposed policies.