Enabling consumer action towards top energy-efficient products (TOPTEN ACT)

TOPTEN ACT is aimed at empowering consumers to act: to purchase top energy-efficient products that will save energy over their lifetime. TOPTEN ACT developed a comprehensive market transformation strategy targeting consumers, manufacturers, retailers, large buyers, consumer associations and other key actors in 16 European countries, covering a combined population of 447 Mn inhabitants. It worked with these actors to help them embrace and promote energy-efficient products so that they become the natural choice for consumers. Project partners manage 16 Top-ten websites presenting up-to-date, consumer-oriented information. These websites showcase top energy-efficient models in a number of product groups: domestic appliances, cooling and lighting equipment, consumer electronics, vehicles, etc. They build on independent and reliable market surveys selecting the best available technologies (BATs) amongst hundreds of thousands of products. In its turn, consumers identify top products, compare costs, and understand the benefits of energy performance both on their electricity bills and for the environment. Partners also pushed this information to consumers through extensive use of media, communications and partnerships with key organisations acting as multipliers, thus providing trustable information. Partners undertook work with retailers, leveraging their unique market positions and direct contact with consumers to act to increase purchases of energy-efficient products.