Posted on August, 26 2015

(Gland, Switzerland, 26 August 2015) – A new platform to enable consumers to make energy-smart choices launched today in Chile, the first in Latin America. The website, supported by WWF, allows consumers to compare the energy consumption of products such as light bulbs, electrical appliances (including refrigerators, freezers and televisions) and cars, to enable more sustainable purchases.

Topten Chile (http://www.top-ten.cl/) is a tool adapted by Fundación Chile and supported by the Ministry of Energy and WWF-Chile to promote energy-efficient products. Reducing energy use is an important factor in the fight against climate change, and also has the benefit of cutting electricity costs for consumers.
 
Chile’s 17-million citizens consumed about 67 billion kWh of electricity in 2012, which is approximately 30% higher than the world average and the same as China on a per capita basis. Increasing energy efficiency measures is a crucial step to achieving the country’s national energy strategy target of a 12% reduction of forecasted energy demand by 2020.
 
“Energy efficiency is the magic fuel,” said Dr Stephan Singer, Director of Global Energy Policy for WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative. “It has only positive economic, social and environmental impacts. Negawatts are always better than any megawatts. For a fully renewably-powered economy we need a massive boost of energy efficiency and conservation in all sectors of energy consumption such as transport, industry and households.”
 
“When it comes to climate change, we’re all in this together,” said Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative. “We need changes at every level of society – from governments, business and the general public. By making it easier for people to make more informed choices, we can help consumers save energy and encourage manufacturers to embrace a more sustainable future.”

“A refrigerator produced today does not require the same energy as one that was made twenty years ago,” says WWF-Chile director Ricardo Bosshard. “There have been enormous improvements in the technology, which allows for the production of products with better energy performance. However, information about these products is not always available or sufficiently clear to consumers.”

The global Topten network to promote energy efficiency was born in 2000 in Switzerland and currently has national websites in China and 16 European countries. A brand new assessment shows that Topten contributes to an increased market share of energy-efficient appliances and an amount of 15 to 18 terawatt hours in terms of cumulative savings since 2006, which corresponds to a reduction of 7.5 to 9 million tons of CO2 emissions. With the launch of Topten Chile, the country is the first in the region with this platform.
 
“WWF sees a future powered 100% by renewable energies by 2050, without nuclear energy. This would be impossible if we don’t use the energy more efficiently,” says Bosshard. “Chile is working to reduce its energy consumption by up to 20% in 2025. Opting for more efficient products supports this objective.”

ends
  For further information, contact:
 
For WWF International:
Mandy Jean Woods mwoods@wwf.org.za / @MandyJeanWoods  / +27 72 393 0027
Sam Smith ssmith@wwf.no  / @pandaclimate / +47 450 22 149
 
For WWF Chile
Susan Diaz Herrera susan.diaz@wwf.cl / +56 63 2 272109

About WWF - WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. The Global Climate & Energy Initiative (GCEI) is WWF’s global programme addressing climate change, promoting renewable and sustainable energy, scaling up green finance, engaging the private sector and working nationally and internationally on implementing low carbon, climate resilient development.
 
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