News

Distribution transformers benchmarking report published

The final report published under the IEA 4E Mapping and Benchmarking Annex is an international comparison of the energy performance of distribution transformers in Australia, Canada, India, the Republic of Korea, and the USA. Comparison of current and imminent MEPS levels for Japan and the EU are also included.  Analysis is drawn from performance data for over 14,000 models from those 5 countries and builds closely on market and technology analysis published under the SEAD programme in 2013.

Highlights from this report include:

  • Comparisons of the various MEPS levels in each market as well as other label scheme classifications for both dry-type and liquid-type transformers.
  • These comparisons confirm that the five tiers of the ‘international ladder of performance’ for transformers, as proposed under the SEAD initiative in 2013, provide guidance on appropriate levels of ambition suitable for different markets and policy measures;
  • Comparisons of the performance of current models in each of the markets to these MEPS and label levels.  These show that MEPS appear effective at eliminating the poorer performing products but also that all markets have access to highly efficient models;
  • The development of a new capacity weighted Energy Efficiency Index method for distribution transformers that more fairly represents the effective efficiency of any given type and capacity range of transformers for each country and so should help policy makers to compare markets and track progress over time.

The full report and a summary policy brief can be downloaded by clicking the button below.