Energy-efficiency labeling may yield lower savings than engineering estimates suggest because market uptake is constrained by consumers and enterprises. This study aims to quantify this gap for dishwasher energy-efficiency labeling in China, identify the binding constraint, and assess its recoverable share. A logistic stock-flow model estimates theoretical savings under GB 38383-2019, while surveys of 199 consumers and 191 enterprises parameterize a dual-sided indicator system. Assuming that consumer and enterprise capacities are non-substitutable, a weakest-link model and scenario simulations estimate realized and recoverable savings. Theoretical savings reach 20.26 TWh by 2030, but only 55.9% (11.33 TWh) is realizable, leaving an 8.94 TWh gap. Consumer-side capacity (0.559) is lower than enterprise-side capacity (0.657), mainly because of experience-related barriers. The highest-intensity bilateral scenario recovers 33.0% of the gap and raises the realization rate to 70.4%. Thus, stricter standards alone cannot ensure realized savings; policies should prioritize consumer experience and label accessibility alongside enterprise compliance.

With the rapid adoption of dishwashers in China’s households, the consequent growth in energy and water consumption presents new challenges for energy conservation, emission reduction, and water resource management in China. To address this, this study adopts the concept of the energy–water nexus to analyze the factors influencing dishwasher usage behaviors and quantifies the co-benefits of energy and water conservation through questionnaire surveys, establishing a household dishwasher energy and water accounting model. The findings reveal that dishwasher usage behaviors are influenced by dietary habits—greater oil usage in cooking leads to higher frequency of use and a greater tendency to select intensive wash modes, thereby increasing energy and water consumption. It is projected that by 2030, promoting energy-efficient dishwashers could achieve annual savings of approximately 390 million kWh of electricity and 4 million m³ of water. Furthermore, shifts in dietary habits offer significant potential for achieving co-benefits in energy and water conservation. Encouraging households to adopt low-oil cooking practices could yield additional annual savings of 5.14 billion kWh of electricity and 9.57 million m³ of water. Based on these results, this paper puts forward policy recommendations to facilitate the coordinated management of household energy and water conservation.

With China’s accelerated urbanization, road and tunnel lighting demand and its electricity consumption have grown significantly, making energy conservation, and carbon reduction urgent. GB 37478, the core standard for road and tunnel LED luminaires, is crucial for promoting high-efficiency products and the lighting industry’s energy efficiency transformation. This study focuses on its 2019 and 2025 editions, using a bottom-up model, product Stock model, and carbon reduction potential method to analyze the standard’s energy conservation and carbon reduction potential during 2021–2030, alongside international energy efficiency comparisons. The results show that by 2030, GB 37478 will achieve 162 TWh cumulative electricity savings, over 90 million tons of CO₂ reduction. The standard has optimized the market structure: Grade 1 energy efficiency products rose from 5% (2019) to over 60% (2025). China’s energy efficiency requirements for such LED luminaires are internationally advanced. Replacing high-pressure sodium lamps with LEDs (50–60% savings) outperforms LED upgrades (10–20%). Future standards should extend from product to system level, integrating safety, health, and intelligence. This study provides a scientific basis for quantifying the standard’s dual-carbon contribution and references for industry policies.