India’s energy landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by a growing population, an expanding economy, and growing access to modern energy services.

With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, India’s residential sector is a key contributor to the country’s overall electricity consumption. As of 2024–25, it accounts for ~25% of total electricity usage in the country, with an annual growth rate of 6%.

To better understand the factors driving up this energy use, CLASP conducted a study examining appliance ownership, usage patterns, and their impact on residential electricity demand. The study draws on data collected from a sample of 4,321 households across 20 states, covering both urban and rural areas and representing major climatic zones.

• Affordability is a decisive factor in appliance purchases, often outweighing energy efficiency considerations.
• Consumer behavior around energy efficiency is inconsistent. All surveyed households reported using LED lighting, however, only 2% actively considered energy efficiency when purchasing lighting solutions. This contrast highlights the importance of initiatives promoting the adoption of energy-efficient technologies.

By identifying the key factors that influence residential energy use, this study aims to inform the development of effective energy efficiency policies and provide policy recommendations for managing growing demand efficiently. By acting on these insights, India can ensure that its residential sector evolves in a sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient manner.

This report, “Making the Switch: The Deployment Handbook for Institutional eCookers,” conducted by Efficiency for Access in partnership with the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, aims to inform practitioners seeking advice on the design, deployment, and operation of commercially available institutional eCooking technologies and provide actionable recommendations for scaling eCooking in institutions in Kenya. This guide covers commercially available institutional eCooking technologies designed for both on- and off-grid applications. It provides:

• An overview of the current state of eCooking in institutions in Kenya
• Step-by-step advice for the pre-assessment, planning, installation, and commissioning of eCooking solutions
• Opportunities to scale the adoption of institutional eCooking

Download “Making the Switch: The Deployment Handbook for Institutional eCookers” to access key findings, recommendations, and guidance on electric cookers in institutional settings.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition dedicated to advancing access to energy and affordable, energy-efficient appliances in underserved communities. It is a catalyst for change, accelerating access to off- and weak-grid appliances that boost incomes, avoid carbon emissions, improve quality of life, and support sustainable development. The coalition is co-chaired by UK aid from the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access platform and the IKEA Foundation.

About the MECS programme

Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) is an eleven-year research programme funded by UK Aid (FCDO). MECS is a geographically diverse, multicultural, and transdisciplinary team working in close partnership with NGOs, governments, the private sector, academia, research institutes, policy representatives, and communities in 16 countries of interest to accelerate a transition from biomass to genuinely ‘clean’ cooking.

In seeking to spark a new approach to clean cooking, the MECS programme researches the socio-economic realities of a transition from polluting fuels to a range of modern fuels. Whilst the research covers several clean fuels, the evidence is pointing to the viability, cost-effectiveness, and user satisfaction that energy-efficient electric cooking devices provide. Significant progress has been made in access to electricity in the last decade, but these gains are sometimes disconnected from the enduring problem of clean cooking. By integrating modern energy cooking services into the planning for electricity access, quality, reliability and sustainability, MECS hopes to leverage investment in renewable energies (both grid and off-grid) to address the clean cooking challenge.

Low-efficiency, climate-harming room air conditioners are common across the Global South. This is due largely to a practice known as environmental dumping, which raises costs for consumers, strains national electric grids, and jeopardizes climate mitigation targets.

What is environmental dumping?

When appliances that don’t meet the regulatory standards of the countries where they are manufactured are export to countries with lower or no standards, this is considered environmental dumping.

Environmental dumping of room air conditioners is a common practice, resulting in high volumes of low-efficiency, high-global-warming potential (GWP) room air conditioners in countries that lack stringent room AC standards and refrigerant regulations.

This occurs across the Global South, as research by CLASP and the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) with support from the Climate and Clear Air Coalition (CCAC) has revealed. Studies from Africa (2020),  Southeast Asia (2023), and Latin America & the Caribbean (2026) have confirmed that low-efficiency, high-GWP cooling appliances are prevalent in all three regions.

Globally, hundreds of millions of people lack electricity. Most solutions focus on extending power supply infrastructure, but in marginalized areas, low electricity demand makes the expense of such infrastructure hard to justify. Increasing the use of energy-efficient appliances in these areas can attract electricity supply investments while delivering climate benefits. Achieving sufficient levels of appliance use to meet these goals would require allocating 15% of supply-side investments, or $38 billion USD, toward demand growth between now and 2030. The funding should focus largely on improving appliance affordability.

Key Findings

• Energy-efficient appliances are essential energy infrastructure, critical for achieving universal energy access and meeting climate mitigation and adaptation goals.
• Bringing modern energy to the 666 million people who lack it (most of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa) requires expanding power infrastructure to places with low electricity consumption.
• Increasing appliance access across Africa could generate demand for 342 terawatt hours of electricity annually, creating a market worth approximately $50 billion USD that would catalyze accelerated power infrastructure development.
• Focusing on expanding markets for energy-efficient appliances (as opposed to standard, less-efficient appliances) would provide many benefits, including avoiding an estimated 2.6 gigatons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually.

Recommendations

• The IEA estimates that at least $50 billion USD of public investment annually is needed until 2030 to achieve universal energy access. CLASP analysis shows that 10–15% of this amount—about $7.5 billion USD annually, or $38 billion USD in total—should be devoted to improving appliance access.
• Relevant decisionmakers should allocate 10–15% of power supply-side investments toward establishing sustainable electricity demand growth.
• Public institutions should target investments to overcoming market failures that limit appliance use—in particular, a lack of affordability and consumer confidence.
• All stakeholders should prioritize energy-efficient appliances over standard, less-efficient appliances.