The en.lighten efficient lighting toolkit is an unparalleled resource for providing guidance for countries on how to transform their markets to efficient lighting. This comprehensive tool will be available in early 2012 and will highlight examples of best practice in important areas such as; policy development, regulations and standards. It will be a key instrument to encourage developing and emerging countries to transition to efficient lighting to reap climate, energy, environmental and financial benefits.

The toolkit will act as a practical reference manual that identifies many of the essential elements that need to be considered before and after inefficient lighting phase-out schemes have been initiated. Currently, it focuses on addressing replacement technologies for incandescent lamps in the residential sector, as a huge percentage of the savings can be captured in this market. The second generation of the toolkit will cover the commercial and industrial markets and will be available by the end of the year 2012.

The content of the toolkit will be presented in practical, action-oriented terms to be utilized primarily by those responsible for drafting policies – environment or energy departments or agencies – but also by public utilities, private sector and civil society organizations. The toolkit will provide guidance in the following areas:

• The benefits of efficient lighting - provides the opportunity for readers to quickly gauge the potential of efficient lighting in terms of energy and financial savings, and CO2 emission reduction. It will also provide an overview of the barriers that may exist in the transition to energy efficient lighting.
• Policy and regulation - offers practical information on the development of policy and regulatory approaches to promote efficient lighting. This section will include best practice examples of countries which have developed successful regulatory frameworks.
• Financial mechanisms - provides economic and financial analyses for phase-out programmes by demonstrating the significant return on investment and short payback period. The toolkit will also identify potential sources of funding to aid in the transition to efficient technologies.
• Ensuring adequate products in the market - provides information about market surveillance, compliance schemes and testing capacities in order to increase the range of complaint products and to ensure the success of policies that aim at transforming the market to efficient lighting.
• Environmental and health issues - focuses on the end-of-life treatment of lamps and examines key issues including; production, usage and environmentally sound management. It will also cover lamp dosing techniques; consumer related environmental, health and safety issues; and, a summary of existing international policy frameworks and best practices for disposal.
• Communications, awareness and stakeholder engagement - provides guidance for awareness-raising campaigns to educate and involve the diverse target markets. Case studies will be included that highlight programs that incorporate various strategies and audiences.