Energy efficiency is more than ever a top priority on the international agenda, particularly as deployment of energy-efficient equipment is the most cost-effective short-term path to greater energy security and lower greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time reducing pressure on energy resources. The IEA estimates that energy-efficiency improvements could contribute 47% of reductions in energy-related CO₂ emissions potentially achievable by 2030.

Addressing today's energy challenges has a global as well as a national perspective. Electrical equipment is produced and traded on a global scale. Very substantial gains are possible if energy-efficiency issues are addressed through international co-operation and interaction. The new 4E IEA Implementing Agreement may constitute an essential collaborative tool.

1. Mapping and Benchmarking
The Mapping and Benchmarking Annex will examine the energy performance of products in the marketplace, including the average and most efficient product, and identify the scope for future improvement. Furthermore, this work will elaborate on relevant information, including results of the activities inside the 4E and its Annexes. Specifically, the aims of this annex are to: • Establish, in the public domain, comparative information and global overview of the practical metrics, market development targets and product energy efficiency performance standards which are already in use or are being developed - and of the available networks and mechanisms for information sharing and co-operative working • Raise awareness of this resource amongst the governments of the major and developing economies and amongst other agencies as a means of helping them to identify the opportunities and priorities for standards setting in their own mandatory and voluntary policies and schemes and to signal these intentions to their suppliers. • Raise awareness of this resource amongst businesses in the supply chain (e.g. component suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, distributors and service providers) and to provide information which they can use in their own commercial investment risk assessment and planning processes • Identify and promote global benchmarks and to support open, transparent and dynamic standards setting processes • Stimulate and encourage a competitive response by businesses in the supply chain; • Encourage policy coherency and the development and adoption of global benchmark standards in practical policy instruments and schemes • Monitor the standards achieved locally, regionally and globally to identify opportunities for more proactive standard-setting by governments • Provide a resource to the ExCo to assess the scope and priorities for action under this Implementing Agreement • Provide a practical interface with and a resource to other networks, mechanisms and programmes which have related aims, to avoid inefficient overlapping activities and gaps and to achieve good policy integration e.g. by placing reference information, analysis and action planning documents in the public domain

3. Standby Power
The work of the 4E Standby Power Annex will assist governments to implement measures to reduce standby power consumption by sharing information on successful approaches and disseminate information on the technological progress. Activities of this annex will span both policy and technical aspects, and have been divided into two work streams: Workstream 1: Support for policies to tackle standby power Workstream 2: Information collection and dissemination Workstream 1 will draw on existing policy development work undertaken by groups like the Asia Pacific Economic Community, the Asia Pacific Partnership in Clean Development and Climate and the European EcoDesign Directive to assess practical options for developing policy to address standby power. Specific activities include: * Promote innovative power management and auto power down solutions for individual devices, with reference to product-specific Annexes where appropriate; * Monitor and promote solutions for power management within networked electronic devices, with reference to product-specific Annexes where appropriate. * Compare and contrast national policies especially looking at nations with policies like Japan that are successfully lowering standby power. Workstream 2 aims to encourage countries to collect data for an agreed core group of globally traded products, in order that valid international comparisons can be made of progress and so the rate of improvement or deterioration can be quantified within and between countries against the backdrop of the policy settings used in that country. It will assist the development standby power policies by maintaining information on national assessment studies, and providing guidance on how such studies should be undertaken. The relevant tasks would be: * Disseminate the results of national standby power studies via an open access website, workshops, etc; * Research and publish guidelines on methodologies for assessment of standby power consumption.

2. Motor Systems
The goals of the 4E Motor Systems Annex will be to promote harmonization of standards and promotion of high-efficiency electric motors in appliances. Major measures for improvement include: * Proper motor and equipment sizing according to the required task and load. * Improvement of efficiency of driven component (pump, fan, compressor, etc.) and transmission to motor with belts and gears. * Use of high efficiency electric motors that reduce losses, run cooler and more stable for an extended period of time. * Adapt the motor to the necessary partial load with the use of electronic frequency inverters (adjustable speed drives) or other means. * Secure optimal thermal and mechanical efficiency of the total motor system, no unnecessary losses in pipes, ducts, and leaks, etc. Thermal and mechanical energy recuperation in special systems. * Secure optimally continuous and balanced power and voltage provision and frequency stability. Although motors are traded globally market barriers for efficient motors and other components exist due to varying grid frequency (60Hz and 50Hz), not aligned testing standards and different marking schemes, higher upfront capital investment and split incentives for purchasers and users. Engineering lacks a common understanding of viewing the total motor system and its life cycle cost as target for optimization. Mandatory minimum energy performance standards MEPS are considered (after ample experience in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) to be the most effective political instrument to move the motor market rapidly and successfully up to high market shares of efficient motors and other systems components.

4. Solid State Lighting
Solid State Lighting (SSL) has the potential to provide artificial lighting more efficiently than prevalent current technologies at competitive lifetime costs. However the wide variation in performance of SSL sources currently in the market severely threatens consumer confidence in SSL lighitng, delaying market acceptance and slowing down penetration rates. The goal of this annex is to develop simple tools to help government and consumers world-wide quickly and confidently identify which SSL lighting products have the necessary efficiencies and quality levels to effectively reduce the amount of energy that is currently consumed by artificial lighting. The projected energy needs of economic growth coupled with projected demographic growth have the potential to put extreme pressure on a nation's capacity to generate enough energy to satisfy their populations. Many governments are embracing energy efficient technologies to reduce this risk, but for energy efficient technologies to be effective in cutting energy consumption, these technologies must have a basic level of quality and efficiency to realise potential energy savings. This annex aims to work internationally to support the work that is being done on a national level to address the main challenges with SSL technologies: there is a lack of confidence with SSL, governments don't have the tools they need to determine which SSL products are good investments, and everyone needs straightforward, reliable and internationally recognised procedures to test for basic SSL quality. Main tasks of the SSL Annex The three main taks of the Annex are: 1. Develop SSL Quality Assurance - work to clarify the SSL market worldwide, reduce the risks in using SSL and provide governments and consumers recommendations that they can trust when investing in SSL products. 2. Harmonise SSL Performance Testing - work with global testing labs to increase the quality and confidence of SSL labs' test results, work to assess a range of existing SSL test procedures and build a system of testing that is manageable, robust and acceptable to a broad range of stakeholders. 3. Standards and Accreditation - work with existing accreditation bodies to develop a structure for world-wide interim reliability of SSL testing labs' performance data.