Trends in research on energy efficiency in appliances and correlations with energy policies

Abstract

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment report, energy-efficient appliances can reduce global electricity consumption even though there is an expected increase in the number and ownership of appliances. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a high increase in energy efficiency in traditional appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, television, etc.), and in the number of new appliances installed (also called plug loads). The bibliometric study of publications related to energy-efficient appliances carried out in this paper shows that research on this topic is growing in developed regions (North America and Europe) and even more in some developing regions (Asia Pacific) with a high emphasis on China and India. The results indicate that, in general, policies are always implemented before the core of publications on the topic, with time spans ranging from 3 to 30 years. However, the trend seems to be changing with publications related to new appliances where the core research happens shortly after or in parallel to the establishment of policies.

This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (RTI2018-093849-B-C31—MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades—Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (RED2018-102431-T). This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme.