National climate commitments are being submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this year as part of the Paris Climate Agreement. Early trends reveal good news for efficiency advocates—so far, country submissions are integrating appliance energy efficiency at a higher rate than previous years. In this third round, the national climate commitments called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) were to be submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat by February 2025. CLASP experts show that of the 20 submissions so far, 15 include appliances. This is a noticeable shift from the previous two rounds of submissions where appliance efficiency was mentioned in less than half of all NDCs—despite being a proven, cost-effective climate mitigation solution.

A quick recap on NDCs

All parties to the Paris Climate Agreement were instructed to submit their third round of NDCs by February 2025. The first Global Stocktake, which assessed collective progress towards the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels, sent a clear message: we are woefully off track. To catch up, countries need to slash emissions faster and set more ambitious targets in their NDCs.

Appliances account for 39% of all energy-related CO2 emissions. Improving their efficiency will not only reduce energy demand and climate emissions, it will also help build community resilience to extreme heat, boost food security and productivity, and enhance economic and social development for people using appliances for the first time.

CLASP has been working with governments and partners around the world to raise awareness of this opportunity and provide the techincal expertise to put appliance efficiency solutions into action.

Early indicator: Better than before with room to improve

CLASP ran an initial key-word search on the 20 submitted NDCs 3.0 in April 2025 to see if and how appliances are being leveraged in this iteration of commitments.

Here are three key takeaways:

1. 75% of NDCs 3.0 mention appliance energy efficiency

A vast majorty of the 20 countries that have submitted their NDCs 3.0 have included appliance efficiency (Figure 1).

These fifteen early submitters,  including the previous and current UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) hosts and presidents, may be more proactive to demonstrate leadership and increased ambitions. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the host of COP28, was the first country to submit NDC 3.0, followed by Brazil, which will hold the presidency of COP30 this year. Other countries submitting NDCs early or on time may do so for political and practical reasons such as demonstrating climate leadership, building momentum, or attracting financial and strategic support in implementation.

It is too early to say if this trend will hold with the remaining 175 parties yet to submit this round of NDCs.

2. Appliance efficiency is mentioned without concrete actions to achieve it

While most NDCs mention appliance energy efficiency, almost all fail to provide specific targets or detail the interventions or policies that are needed to achieve the stated commitments. For example, 50% of NDCs 3.0 mention policies to improve appliance efficiency, but only 10% mention specific appliance efficiency targets (Figure 2).

NDCs are meant to be holistic. While it may be challenging to present a detailed roadmap for how each sub-sector will contribute to economy-wide emissions reduction targets, providing more detail about the types of interventions and policies that will be prioritized can clarify how emissions reductions will be achieved.

Zimbabwe’s NDC 3.0 offers a good example of how to address this nuance. It is noted that the country intends to prioritize minimum energy performance standards for domestic refrigeration, distribution transformers, room air conditioners, and lighting equipment and it also provides quantifiable electricity savings targets.

Similarly, the United Kingdom’s NDC 3.0 mentions low-carbon space heating equipment and specifically calls out policies and programs that promote adoption of heat pumps and encourages manufacturers to meet low carbon heating sales targets.

3. Countries are prioritizing cooling appliances, with most focusing on transitioning to low GWP refrigerants

As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, demand for cooling services is expected to surge, straining electricity grids and driving up emissions. Cooling appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators contribute to both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

Refrigerants are powerful heat-trapping substances that are directly emitted during cooling appliance operation, servicing and disposal. The Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments aim to phase out the use of certain refrigerants that harm the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.

Cooling appliances are also large consumers of electricity, producing indirect emissions from power generation. Policies like minimum energy performance standards are often used to curb electricity demand by limiting the amount of electricity an appliance can consume.

To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, cooling appliances’ direct and indirect emissions must be addressed in tandem.

CLASP found that ten of the 20 submitted NDCs 3.0 prioritize cooling appliances (air conditioners or refrigerators), see Figure 3.