Topten is a consumer-oriented online search tool, which presents the most energy efficient appliances in various categories of products. Within the current phase of the initiative ICLEI is developing guidance for public procurers, to help them purchase the most efficient products on the market.
Topten is a consumer-oriented online search tool, which presents the best appliances in various categories of products. The key criteria are energy efficiency, impact on the environment, health and quality. As a communication tool it helps to show how our energy consumption causes climate change and what we can do personally to reduce our impact. It is also a powerful instrument to influence manufacturers. Topten was launched in 2000 in Switzerland. Since then, twelve other national Topten sites have been established, and four countries are establishing their own national Topten sites (Lithuania, Romania, Greece and Norway), thanks to the European IEE-projects Euro-Topten and Euro-Topten Plus (Intelligent Energy Europe). Each Topten website provides a selection of best appliances from the energy point of view. More information can be found on the fact sheet and the EEDAL paper on Topten.info (June 2009). Topten information targets consumers (pictures, functions, price, no complex calculation, for products available locally in their country) and large buyers. Topten is rigorous and transparent (the selection methodology is explained online), independent from producers and commercial distributors. Topten relies on neutral tests and analysis of independent institutions, labels and on standardized declarations of manufacturers (e.g. EU-directives for household appliances). www.topten.info serves as a portal to reach all sites of participating countries. During the current stage of the initiative, guidance is being prepared to make the information presented usable for public procurers. Criteria documents are being prepared which procurers can paste directly into tendering documents, with the reassurance that all the products displayed on the website will meet these criteria.
