Energy-efficient appliances, lighting and equipment are key to climate-resilient development. Sitting at the nexus of three global priorities—climate change mitigation, climate change resilience, and sustainable development—efficient appliances can help lower greenhouse gas emissions globally and improve the quality of life for the 3.6 billion people living in regions that are highly vulnerable to climate change.

This report makes the case for prioritizing appliances in efforts to promote climate resilient development. It estimates appliance access gaps at the national level in Africa for five appliances: refrigerators, televisions, fans, air conditioners, and solar water pumps. The report closes with a summary of what is needed to bridge existing access gaps for African nations. Read the full report to learn more.

A full analysis of global appliance access gaps for ten appliances will be presented in CLASP’s forthcoming Net Zero Heroes report, scheduled for publication in late November 2023.

Rapid urbanization and rising incomes in India will drive exponential growth in energy service demands for residential and commercial buildings. As per the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) the aggregated nationwide cooling requirement, in TR (Tons of Refrigeration), is projected to grow around 8 times by 2037-38 as compared to the 2017-18 baseline. The building sector’s cooling demand will grow by nearly 11 times compared to the current baseline, while cold chain and refrigeration will increase by around 4 times, compared to 2017-18 levels.

Recognizing the anticipated growth of commercial space cooling, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, developed the efficiency policy for LCACs and announced the voluntary labeling program in March 2020.

As of 2022, BEE has transitioned the labeling program for LCACs to a mandatory phase, which meets ICAP recommendations on promoting energy efficiency in the commercial air conditioning sector. This offers significant potential for GHG emissions reduction and energy consumption. CLASP, with support from PwC India, has provided technical assistance to BEE for this policy revision. The team reached out to major industry players to estimate the current market size of LCACs in India, energy performance of the appliances available in the country and the extent of voluntary label penetration.

A structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews provided the following insights:

1. Current market size for LCACs for FY 2020-21 is approximately one lakh units based on estimates by different manufacturers.
2. The segment is largely dominated by ceiling-mounted cassette type Acs, constituting around 87% (in terms of volume) of the market share.
3. Primary data received from nine leading manufacturers suggests the availability of 73 models.
4. Out of 73 models’ data shared by manufacturers, 16 models (from four manufacturers) are registered in the voluntary phase (<25% penetration) [1].
5. Six manufacturers’ (in-house) and one independent third party test lab have NABL accreditation as per IS 1391:part-2: 2018.

BEE proposes to make the LCAC labeling program mandatory from January 1, 2023, using the same star rating thresholds as in the voluntary phase. The program will be valid for 2 years from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025.

A cumulative savings of ~3.1 TWh and ~2.45 MtCO2 is envisaged (by FY2030) from the mandatory labeling program for LCACs.

[1] As on 24th March 2022

As climate change continues to heat the earth to unprecedented temperatures, billions of people will rely on air conditioners to accomplish everyday tasks. However, air conditioners and electric fans already account for about 20% of global building electricity use, much of which is generated by fossil fuels. In China, highly polluting coal is the largest source of energy.

China is also the world’s largest manufacturer, exporter, and consumer of room air conditioners (RACs). In the past two decades, minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) have been enacted and revised to encourage more-efficient technologies, slashing energy costs, consumption, and CO₂ emissions. The most recent air-conditioning energy efficiency standard, GB 21455-2019, made significant changes that promote highly efficient technologies and fast-tracked China’s RAC market toward climate-friendly cooling.

Key findings:

• Room AC penetration has steadily increased since 2013, and in 2020 was at 117.7%, meaning there are 117.7 units for every 100 households.
• The new, more stringent MEPS precipitated the domination of the most efficient (grade 1) RACs in just two years, growing from 19% of the market share to 56%.
• Variable-speed ACs, which are technically much more efficient than their fixed-speed counterparts, completely overtook the market, quickly rising from 60% to 98% since implementation of the new MEPS.
• Mepsy analysis shows that without the revised 2019 standard, fixed-speed ACs would still hold a 30% market share in 2030.
• These long-term shifts brought on by China’s updated RAC MEPS are projected to prevent at least 470 Mt of CO₂ emissions between 2020 and 2030. Even more reductions could be realized with full adoption of the Best Available Technology (BAT).
• The Chinese MEPS also increased the average efficiency of export markets and increased the market share of more sustainable refrigerants.

As RACs are widely traded internationally and have cross-border supply chains originating in China, this report serves as evidence to encourage countries with similar market conditions as China to use their policy as a reference.

A new report from Catalytic Communities offers insights into the efficiency of service provision and use in favelas across Rio de Janeiro where inefficiency affects lowest income residents the worst. CLASP provided trainings to the researchers on energy efficiency, helping to craft the survey design and questions.

The data presented in the new report Energy Efficiency in the Favelas reflect the reality of 1,156 families (4,164 people) in 15 favelas from five municipalities across the Greater Rio metropolitan region, and specifically show the relationship between energy and poverty, focusing on the efficiency of service provision and use.

Key Findings

• The lowest-income families make up the majority of those facing energy poverty. 31% of surveyed families experience energy poverty,¹ with a disproportionate amount of the family budget going to pay the electric bill.
• 69% of respondents stated that if their electric bill were halved, they would use the money to buy food, which indicates that energy poverty is directly linked to food insecurity for interviewees.
• Air conditioning is responsible for over half (51.4%) of energy consumption in the sample, followed by electric showers (13.8%) and refrigerators (13.6%).
• Energy-saving habits are at a good level across the sample population. Among those interviewed, 78% always remember to turn off the lights when leaving a room and 67% choose LED bulbs.
• Knowledge of energy-efficient appliances and the country’s labeling and assistance programs is low among low-income families: 50.6% state they know what the National Energy Conservation Label (ENCE) means. Of those that know the label, 49.1% state they have bought an electrical appliance based on it being classified in the ENCE A category.
• The Social Electricity Tariff (TSEE) offers discounts on electric bills and provides rewards for energy savings. Approximately 60% of families in the study meet the income criteria for the TSEE, but only 8% state that they receive the benefit. Of the families that meet income criteria to qualify for the TSEE, 90% say they do not receive the benefit.   

This report is a follow-up to Water and Energy Justice in the Favelas.

Learn more

• Exploring Energy Efficiency in Rio’s Favelas
• Report in Portuguese
• Report in English
• Documentary

The millions of residents in low-income communities known as favelas are feeling the worst effects of the energy crisis in Brazil. Many government programs are ineffective due to structural inequality, gang-related violence, and general distrust of government by residents. As a result, there is often a mismatch between the community’s needs and municipal services. Catalytic Communities, a Rio-based NGO working to provide strategic support to favela organizers, led a research course to train favela youth to perform research and data collection that could be used for political advocacy. CLASP supported training on energy efficiency and its impacts on residents’ quality of life.

The research focused on the impact of minimal energy and water access for favela residents, highlighting the country’s unique relationship to hydroelectric power. Recent droughts — and floods — have led to a decrease in water quality and availability, subsequently affecting power availability and costs. Meanwhile, energy is needed to pump water to homes. Many people in the favelas struggle to choose between keeping the lights on and having enough to eat. Key findings from the report include:

• At least a fifth of interviewees suffer from blackouts at least once a month.
• 68.7% were not aware of Social Electricity Tariff (TSEE), a program aimed at subsidizing electricity costs for low-income households. Only 8% participated in the program.
• Energy as a cost disproportionally affects lower-income families — over 30% are considered to be in energy poverty.

These conditions are only worsening, as energy prices rise and utility companies are unresponsive to service requests. This collectively-produced report outlines recommendations for the government and utilities to improve responsiveness and keep the lights on.

This report precedes a more specialized “Energy Efficiency in the Favelas” report, which will be released 21 April, in advance of Earth Day 2023.

With ever-changing global climatic conditions and growing demand for sustainable food production, cold chain technologies are critical for improving food security, reducing food waste, enhancing farmers’ livelihoods, and supporting adaptation to climate change. These technologies enable the safe and efficient transport, storage, and distribution of perishable goods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, fish, and meat.

In this series of reports, CLASP through Efficiency for Access examines the fresh food value chains of India, Kenya, and Nigeria, three countries that are rapidly growing their access to energy and have a high potential demand for cold chain infrastructure (CCI). By using a combination of secondary research, modeling, and stakeholder consultations, CLASP through Efficiency for Access assesses the current state of cold chain infrastructure and identifies the gaps between the infrastructure that is currently deployed and what is necessary to meet these value chains’ needs by 2030.

The reports provide detailed country-specific insights on:

• existing CCI for the fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, fish and meat value chains
• drivers and barriers for CCI uptake
• existing business and ownership models
• CCI policies and regulations
• proposed interventions for accelerated adoption of CCI technologies

By leveraging these insights, policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders can take concrete steps to improve food access, reduce carbon emissions, and promote sustainable development in these countries and beyond.

Download the Key Cold Chain Infrastructure Markets reports to learn more.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

Minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for appliances and equipment play a critical role in meeting ambitious international climate goals. By adopting updated MEPS aligned with international targets and best practice, governments can deliver further energy and cost savings to consumers and take action to curb the worst impacts of climate change.

CLASP evaluated the stringency of MEPS requirements for six major appliance categories—lighting, air conditioners, refrigerators, electric motors, water heating, and space heating—across ten of the world’s highest greenhouse gas-emitting economies—Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This report identifies economies with the most ambitious MEPS, and highlights opportunities for further policy intervention across all economies. The analysis will be updated periodically, with updated data available on the World’s Best MEPS tool page. 

Heating oil is one of the most expensive heating fuels in the US, requiring millions of households to spend more than $2,000 annually for heat. Replacing all or some oil-powered heating equipment with modern two-way heat pumps can cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce household heating and cooling costs, and increase comfort.

This paper explores two opportunities for heat pump retrofits for oil heating equipment in the US and the costs and benefits of each based on a 2021 CLASP analysis, with updates to reflect December 2021 prices.