Appliance efficiency could provide roughly one fifth of the reduction in energy demand needed to meet a pivotal climate commitment, according to CLASP’s analysis “Doubling Energy Efficiency with Appliances: How governments can leverage appliances to reach climate targets”. With nearly 110 countries pledging at COP28 to double annual energy efficiency improvements by 2030, more ambitious appliance policies are critical to reaching this goal before the narrow window for net zero by mid-century closes.

Key Findings

• To get on track for net zero emissions by mid-century, the average global annual rate of improvement in energy intensity must double to at least 4% by 2030. Appliance efficiency can deliver approximately 20% of the total reduction in energy demand required to meet this goal.
• Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia have recently taken significant steps to integrate appliance efficiency into their national strategies, recognizing its critical role in achieving energy and climate goals.

Recommendations

• Policymakers must rapidly implement stringent minimum efficiency standards for appliances, ensuring that they meet or exceed the best standards currently in place. Countries with world-leading standards should increase them further to reflect the levels of today’s best available technologies.
• Governments need to embed clear, measurable appliance efficiency targets into their national climate goals. They must also track progress with standardized metrics to stay on course to meet the doubling efficiency goal.
• All stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society must strengthen international and cross-sectoral collaboration to accelerate global energy efficiency gains. This cost-effective approach includes sharing technical expertise, conducting joint market surveillance, and harmonizing standards to overcome common barriers.

This research, conducted by CLASP, Efficiency for Access, Practical Action and Verasol, shows why appliances designed for off-grid use are important in Rwanda’s humanitarian context. Electrical appliances improve people’s livelihoods and enhance their overall well-being through clean cooking, lighting, and improved access to education, and economic opportunities.

The report explores three key considerations for procuring appliances in the Rwandan humanitarian context:

1. Appliance categorization by sector (household, business, and community use), highlighting how different users prioritize parameters such as energy efficiency, affordability, and ease of repair
2. Procurement challenges unique to refugee contexts, including financing barriers, supply chain constraints, and the tension between short-term affordability and long-term sustainability
3. Policy and practical considerations associated with Rwanda’s e-waste regulations and the logistical hurdles of distributing and maintaining appliances in camp environments

Closing Rwanda’s refugee energy gap requires appliances that are affordable, durable, and aligned with user needs—backed by smart financing, policy, and cross-sector collaboration.

Explore “Energy Appliances for the Rwandan Humanitarian Context: Stakeholder Mapping and Consumer Insights” for more findings.

About Efficiency for Access 

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition dedicated to advancing access to energy and affordable, energy efficient appliances. It is co-managed by CLASP and Energy Saving Trust.

This Efficiency for Access research provides practical procurement guidelines for energy appliances suitable for off- and weak-grid communities.  In the face of rapid global changes and growing demand for sustainable energy solutions, the need for reliable access to clean energy has never been more urgent. This is especially true for off-grid communities and in humanitarian settings, where access to energy can be a critical lifeline. In these contexts, high-quality energy appliances are not just a matter of performance—they are essential for health, safety, and resilience.

But here’s the problem: when procurement lacks clear guidelines, poor-quality appliances fail early. Money gets wasted, and essential services collapse. That is why Efficiency for Access has created this guide.  These are practical procurement guidelines for energy appliances suitable for off- and weak-grid environments.

It is intended to support procurement officers and intervention implementers by providing clear, actionable guidance on how to set appropriate quality requirements for procurement tenders and select appliances that are durable, energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable over time.  Explore “The Procurement Handbook for Off- and Weak-Grid Appliances” for more findings.

About Efficiency for Access 

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition dedicated to advancing access to energy and affordable, energy efficient appliances. It is co-managed by CLASP and Energy Saving Trust.

Ceiling fans are among the most ubiquitous appliances in Indian homes, with over 90% of households relying on them as the primary source of cooling, especially in low-income and rural areas. They account for approximately 40% of residential electricity consumption. However, about 97% of these fans are not energy efficient, resulting in higher electricity consumption, increased household energy bills, and elevated emissions associated with cooling.

Within market transformation, bulk procurement programs are powerful tools for transforming markets by accelerating the availability, adoption, and affordability of energy-efficient technologies. This report analyzes a case study of a bulk procurement program in India’s ceiling fan sector, focusing on its outcomes, successes, and lessons learnt.

This report presents a technical assessment of testing methods, energy efficiency metrics, and minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for air-to-water heat pumps and chillers in cooling mode across China, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US). These regions represent the largest markets for heat pump technologies, each employing distinct testing protocols, metrics, and requirements.

The analyses offer insights into how Chinese, EU, and US standards align or diverge, how performance comparisons can be made across energy efficiency standards, and where opportunities for international standard alignment exist.

Key findings:

• The US energy efficiency metric approximates 114% of China’s metric, while the EU’s metric differs by ±3% compared to China’s.

• China’s revised MEPS matches or exceeds EU and US efficiency benchmarks for low-capacity units.

• Requirements for high-capacity products in China still show room for improvement.

With this research, CLASP and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) highlight the urgent need to improve the performance, procurement and deployment of medical appliances in healthcare facilities operating in weak- and off-grid settings. The report uncovers how energy-intensive, poorly matched, and under-maintained medical devices are contributing to poor health outcomes and increasing operational strain in low-resource environments.

Drawing on real-world data from 29 healthcare facilities in Kisumu County, Kenya, the report presents insights from on-site testing, remote energy monitoring, and interviews with frontline healthcare workers and system stakeholders.

The study identifies practical solutions for more effective healthcare electrification  from integrating energy efficiency into procurement policies, to establishing minimum energy performance standards and investing in local innovation. It emphasizes the importance of designing systems that match real-world usage patterns, reduce operational costs and strengthen the long-term sustainability of electrification investments.

Explore “Medical Appliances for Resource-Constrained Settings ” for more findings.

This research was supported by Efficiency for Access, Ikea Foundation, and Transforming Energy Access.

About Efficiency for Access 

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition dedicated to advancing access to energy and affordable, energy efficient appliances. It is co-managed by CLASP and Energy Saving Trust.

How can African policymakers and compliance and enforcement officers implement robust lighting policies and protect national markets from low quality, inefficient lighting products?

This guide provides the research and tools African governments need to lead the continent’s transition to more efficient, better performing lighting solutions. It outlines how to comply with the global mandate to phase out fluorescent lighting by 2027 under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and covers other topics including:

• Understanding lighting technologies: Offers a detailed exploration of various lighting technologies, their applications, and market trends to help officers identify, differentiate, and assess products effectively during approval processes.
• Energy efficiency policies: Provides insights into energy-efficient lighting policies, including international, regional, and national regulations, and related compliance considerations.
• Conformity assessment: Gives an overview of processes for conformity assessments, exploring different models, their associated compliance risk levels, and the infrastructure needed for effective implementation with lighting policies before they are placed on the market.
• Market monitoring and enforcement: Provides an overview of how to identify non-compliant products in the market and how to enforce compliance with lighting regulations. Additionally, the guide highlights common non-compliance issues encountered during market monitoring offering recommended corrective actions.
• Case studies: Provides case studies from Ghana, Australia, and the European Union that showcase examples of regional harmonization in regulations, various conformity models, and national compliance programs.