Ibrahim Soumaila
Energy Efficiency Program Officer, ECOWAS, Economic Community of West African States
The energy system of ECOWAS member states faces the interrelated challenges of energy access, energy security, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, which impede its economic and social development, despite the abundant energy potential, as well as its potential for energy savings. To meet these challenges, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken steps to develop, adopt and implement energy policies including regional Energy Efliciency Policy.
In 2013, ECOWAS Heads of State and Government adopted the Regional Energy Efficiency Policy, which aims to implement effective measures to free up 2,000 MW of electricity generation capacity by 2020. To achieve this goal, key initiatives have been developed and implemented, including: eflicient lighting initiative to phase out ineflicient lamps and replace them with high efliciency lamps; high-performance distribution of electricity initiative by reducing the commercial and technical losses of electricity distribution systems; safe, clean, affordable and sustainable cooking initiative, to ensure the entire population of ECOWAS access to eflicient and clean cookstoves; standards & labeling initiative to create a harmonized regional system of energy standards and labels.
Recent measures including among others:
- For the efficient lighting sector, the adoption by the ECOWAS Ministersin charge of Quality of: (1) a technical specifications standard for mains-voltage general lighting service lamps, ECOSTAND 053: 2015. This standard applies to all mains-voltage general lighting service lamps – includingincandescent, tungsten halogen, compact fluorescent and light emitting diode lamps. It applies to mains-voltage generallighting service lamps manufactured, assembled, imported or sold in any of the (2) A technical specification standard for off-grid lighting products, ECOSTAND 054: 2015, which applies to off-grid lighting products, such as:separate inside fixed lighting systems; separate portable lightingsystems; portable embedded systems, and integrated outside fixed systems manufactured, assembled, imported or sold in any of the ECOWAS countries.
- In the field of refrigeration, it is the adoption by the ECOWAS Ministers in charge of quality of: (1) a minimum energy performance standard on refrigeration – ECOSTAND 071-1: 2017, which covers requirements for alternative current (AC) powered refrigerating appliances with a storage volume up to 1 500 litres which are manufactured, assembled, imported or sold in any of the ECOWAS (2) The minimum energy performance standard on air conditioning – ECOSTAND 071-2: 2017, which covers requirements for domestic and commercial air conditioners such as: portable AC; unitary AC; split AC, and centralised AC system, which are single or double ducts, mobile or others; manufactured, assembled, imported or sold in any of the ECOWAS countries.
- For the energy efficiency in buildings area, the ECOWAS Council has adopted the regulation for energy efliciency in buildings in the ECOWAS This regulation provides directives on energy efliciency in buildings and promotes the improvement of energy efliciency of buildings within ECOWAS member states. Specifically, this ECOWAS regulation defines among other: a common general framework for calculating the energy performance of buildings; minimum requirements for the energy performance of new buildings and existing buildings subject to major renovation; minimum requirements for renewable energy used in buildings; and the energy certification of buildings.
The aim of these standards and regulations on energy efliciency in buildings is to reduce energy poverty, negative externalities to the environment and to promote the creation of a common market, the development of harmonization of standards, procedures and conformity assessment measures to reduce technical barriers to trade, encourage internal and international trade and strengthen the industrialization of the ECOWAS region.
Ibrahim Soumaila,
Energy Efficiency Program Officer, ECOWAS, Economic Community of West African States
