NORDCRAWL – The Nordic framework for collection, analysis and surveillance of market data based on automated and frequent crawling of retail web shops

Panel: 9. Improving energy efficiency in ICT, appliances and products

Authors:
Kasper Schäfer Mogensen, Big2Great ApS, Denmark
Lovisa Blomquist, Swedish Energy Agency, Sweden
Peter Bennich, Swedish Energy Agency, Sweden
Linn Stengård, Swedish Energy Agency, Sweden
Troels Fjordbak, Big2Great ApS, Denmark
Kasper Mogensen, Big2Great ApS, Denmark

Abstract

NORDCRAWL background

The project, financed by the Nordic Council of ministers, set out in 2014 to establish an internet platform for more automated collection (“crawling”) of data from the internet. The focus was retail web shops and the ever-increasing web market for electrical household appliances, across the Nordic (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) countries.

The system collects data from several websites representing the Nordic market, through advanced algorithms, ensuring continuous and accurate time series for how the market looks like for washing machines, dish washers, driers, etc, in terms of prizes, electricity consumptions, capacities, sizes, noise levels and other appliance specific parameters.

It is intended to keep the system running for years to establish a solid database describing the market, enabling the Nordic Energy Agencies to analyze all kinds of market trends and behaviors.

OUTPUTS

Outputs from the system comprises from traditional reports of number of specific models on the market, average electricity consumption and sizes, energy label distributions etc. to more advanced analysis of compliance with Eco-design regulations and establishing aggregated input to Policy Evaluation models.

Since the data is collected frequently (weekly), the change in the market can be tracked and trends can be identified. Using assumptions about appliance lifespan and frequency of use, a life-cycle-cost can be calculated from purchase price and running costs, enabling an almost on-line illustration of how the LCC (and LLCC) moves in time for a specific product group.

FUTURE

From the data advanced metrics like cost-of-energi-efficiency could be derived and analyzed. Also, it is planned to look at how (and how quickly) the market responds to change, e.g. in the regulation levels for eco-design cut-off-values etc.