Nigeria’s severe shortage of energy prompted the government to establish the University of Lagos National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation in 2008, which is responsible for R&D in energy-efficiency and -conservation options and technologies. Following the 2010 enactment of the Russian Federation’s energy-efficiency legislation, the country has intensified efforts to create an R&D capacity in energy efficiency. The Russian Federation recognizes the role of a growing number of organizations engaged in research on improving energy efficiency, such as the Centre for Energy Efficiency, the Sustainable Energy Development Centre and the Institute of Energy Strategy. Standards for industrial equipment and system optimization can make it easier for firms to trade off capital and energy costs, but they can also impose limits on product choice and undesirable costs for adopters.