The Forum believes that to promote consumer confidence in renewable energy devices and energy conservation materials it is essential that an effective system of legal warranties exist. Warranties of a minimum specified duration should be prescribed in legislation and must give consumers an effective system of legal redress where the equipment fails to perform according to manufacturers' specifications. Consumer product standards 11. A further measure considered important by consumer organizations to promote sustainable development is the introduction of product standards. Product standards are a measure of adequacy of a product and may be used to compare value and quality.
Standards promote uniformity and thus avoid irregularities or undesirable variations in a product.
To promote maximum compliance and to increase consumer confidence, it is important that all standards can be legally enforced. The simplest method of achieving this would be to enact legislation giving the appropriate government agency the power to prescribe a standard and to enact laws to protect and enforce all prescribed standards. Minimum energy performance standards were recognized as an effective way to assist consumers by requiring the manufacture of products with lower energy operating costs. Such standards should be phased in over several years in order to give manufacturers the opportunity to improve the efficiency of their products. Technical assistance and financial support may be necessary in some cases, especially for smaller manufacturers.