Why Appliances Are Essential Energy Infrastructure
Prioritizing efficient appliances alongside energy infrastructure expansions can accelerate universal electricity access and improve hundreds of millions of lives.
Hundreds of millions of people globally still live without access to electricity. That means no way to cool their homes during hot summers, refrigerate food to keep it fresh, cook without inhaling toxic fumes, or farm without hours of grueling, manual labor.
For decades, the response has focused on expanding energy infrastructure. But power lines alone can’t deliver the full benefits. A village may get connected, but without a fridge, a fan, or a clean cookstove, electricity access remains incomplete.
This is where efficient, affordable appliances come in. They transform energy into opportunity for better health, productivity, and livelihoods. They also improve the economics of grid expansion which makes investment more attractive and sustainable.
To achieve the goal of universal energy access and improve millions of lives, we need to look beyond electricity. Appliances are not a luxury; they are essential energy infrastructure.
To learn more, explore CLASP’s research report “The Missing Piece of Energy Access: Why 15% of Energy Infrastructure Investment Must go to Appliances”.
