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Cold Case: The forensic economics of energy efficiency labels for domestic refrigeration appliances

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  • Goeschl, Timo

Abstract

Energy-efficiency labels are intended to better inform consumers at the point of sale about unobservable product characteristics. The EU Energy Label is globally one of the largest labeling schemes and obligates manufacturers of white goods to self-certify the energy efficiency index (EEI) of their product. The integrity of the scheme is reliant on manufacturers' compliance with the certification protocol and accurate declaration of the certification results. I construct a database that contains the testing data of 212 refrigeration devices sold on EU markets before and after the introduction of the label and compare self-reported and third-party verified EEIs. I find that under the label (1) there is evidence for bunching in self-certified EEIs, but not in verified EEIs, pointing to misreporting; (2) for the average model, self-certified EEIs understate equivalent energy consumption by 13 to %; (3) understatement clusters at class boundaries; and (4) well over half of the reporting discrepancy can be attributed to systematic factors rather than error. This can explain a significant share of the so-called 'Energy Efficiency Gap.' Before the introduction of the label, there is no evidence for bunching and substantially less underreporting of energy efficiency performance. In its current implementation, the EU Energy Label therefore plausibly induces misreporting, partly negating the intended information gains and impacting negatively on information-attentive consumers.

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  • Goeschl, Timo, 2019. "Cold Case: The forensic economics of energy efficiency labels for domestic refrigeration appliances," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(S1).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:84:y:2019:i:s1:s014098831930249x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2019.08.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Huaccha, Gissell, 2023. "Regional persistence of the energy efficiency gap: Evidence from England and Wales," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    2. de Miguel, Carlos & Filippini, Massimo & Labandeira, Xavier & Labeaga, José M. & Löschel, Andreas, 2019. "Low-carbon Transitions: Economics and Policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(S1).
    3. Chaudhuri, Kausik & Huaccha, Gissell, 2023. "Who bears the energy cost? Local income deprivation and the household energy efficiency gap," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Forensic economics; Misreporting; Energy efficiency; Consumer durables; Product labeling; Compliance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • K13 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Tort Law and Product Liability; Forensic Economics
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General

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