Seven Years Since SERP: Successes and Setbacks in Technology Procurement

Brad Hollomon, Marc Ledbetter, Linda Sandahl, and Terry Shoemaker, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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Abstract

The past seven years have seen a variety of projects designed to aggregate markets for highly efficient products and to induce manufacturers to respond with improved technology. In addition to the Super-Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP), which initiated sales in 1994, a Consortium for Energy Efficiency-led apartment-size refrigerator program and DOEled procurements of high-efficiency clothes washers, sub-compact fluorescent lamps, recessed downlight fluorescent fixtures and commercial packaged air conditioners all form a rich body of experience from which to extract lessons for similar procurements in the future.
How can one identify promising candidate products? What factors induce manufacturers to respond aggressively? Do responsive manufacturers have identifiable characteristics? Are guaranteed sales or exclusive vendor selection essential? What partners and promotion activities are essential for success? How much time is involved at each stage? What about product testing and validation of performance claims? This paper addresses these and other questions, drawing on DOE’s, PNNL's, and other organizations’ experience designing, conducting, and evaluating technology procurements since the time of the SERP project.