Within the foreseeable future, refrigerators will be using 30% less electricity in some countries. Homes in the United States will be emitting 4% less carbon dioxide. Dozens of other common energy-using products will have become cleaner and more energy efficient. And all because of the growing use of energy labels and standards in industrialised countries. Energy labels and standards are only one way in which governments can diminish energy use, improve performance and slash greenhouse gas emissions. But they have proved remarkably effective, and their use is steadily spreading. This report by the International Energy Agency chronicles a number of success stories and offers suggestions on how they can be replicated. This study, the first in a planned series of Energy Efficiency Policy Profiles, analyses existing programmes, provides guidance for programmes now under consideration and points the way to possible international collaboration. It highlights the key elements in successful programmes.