| Overview : The South African government through the Department of Energy (DoE) in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the project “Market Transformation through the Introduction of Energy Efficiency Standards and the Labelling of Household Appliances in South Africa”. The objectives are removing inefficient electronic appliances from the South African market and encouraging adoption of efficient technologies by implementing measures/interventions such as minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), labeling programs, and incentive programs. The overarching goal is to reduce electricity consumption and the carbon footprint of the residential sector. The energy label provides information to the consumer with regards the appliance’s energy use and efficiency. The label is mandatory for 12 residential appliances - the programme website (www.savingenergy.org.za) can be accessed for more detail. Technology advances in recent years has seen the widespread adoption of the Quick Response (QR) code, a machine readable optical label which contains large quantities of data about the item to which it is attached. It is now possible for consumers to decode QR codes on their smart phones at the point of sale, providing even more product information to the consumer about the appliance they considering buying. Importantly, the code can also be utilised by manufacturers (e.g. additional promotional information such as user guides, contact information, etc.), the regulator (compliance) and the government policy (market penetration, energy and ghg savings). The Department of Energy is seeking an International Consultant (IC) with the requisite experience and knowledge to complete a study on the adoption of a QR code on the existing energy label and how it can be integrated across the value chain to assist with compliance, policy, awareness and marketing. | 
