The ASEAN air conditioning market is poised to grow significantly in the coming decades and if left unchecked, this increased demand will have profound economic, energy and environmental impacts in the region and beyond. To this end, the United Nations Environment Programme United for Efficiency initiative (UNEP U4E), the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) collaborated to support the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF)-ASEAN ...Read More
Go Green, Save Money: How the ECOFRIDGES GO Programme has benefited Ghana
The United Nations Environment Programme's United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative, Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE) and the Energy Commission of Ghana are excited to unveil a new video documenting the implementation of the ECOFRIDGES GO programme in Ghana. Through interactions with different stakeholders, the video explores the key benefits realised by the programme and its anticipated impacts. According to the IPCC, West Africa constitutes one of the many hotspots of climate ...Read More
Mainstreaming enhanced cooling targets in Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and implementing priority interventions
On Thursday, 3 February 2022, in Abuja, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNEP United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative formally launched the project, Scaling Up Energy-Efficient and Climate-Friendly Cooling in Nigeria’s NDC Revision. In his welcoming remarks, the ECN Director-General/CEO, Professor Eli Jidere Bala, stated that “the project is aimed at accelerating the transition to climate-friendly, low-global ...Read More
A New Opportunity for Rwandans to Affordably Purchase Appliances that can Reduce Electricity Bills and Impacts on the Environment
Today, Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment through the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) launched the Rwanda Cooling Initiative’s Green On-Wage (R-COOL GO) financing mechanism – through which environmentally friendly refrigerators and air conditioners will be more widely accessible and affordable in Rwanda. Eligible salaried employees from the public and private sectors may request loans from participating banks to purchase new cooling appliances that meet strict performance ...Read More
UNEP U4E and SIE Announce a New Sustainable Public Procurement Collaboration
The United Nations Environment Programme’s United for Efficiency (UNEP U4E) and Société d'Ingénierie Energétique (SIE), the Moroccan state-owned energy services company, are delighted to announce their collaboration to promote sustainable public procurement in Morocco. The potential energy savings of energy efficient cooling appliances stands at 1.1 TWh annually in the country. The parties will take a cohesive approach to address technical, financial, and regulatory considerations, drawing ...Read More
ECOFRIDGES GO Online Shop is Now Available for Consumers to Finance New Fridges and ACs at 0% Interest
As part of its Green On-Wage (GO) financial mechanism, ECOFRIDGES GO is pleased to announce the launch of its online store, which allows Ghanaians to order energy-efficient and environmentally friendly refrigerators and air conditioners. The ECOWAS Refrigerators and Air Conditioners Initiative is collaborating with CalBank Plc, Ecobank Ghana Limited, Letshego Ghana Savings and Loans Plc to provide low-interest loans to eligible salaried employees, and with the following vendors Ederick Limited, ...Read More
Applying Government’s Purchasing Power to Jump-start Sustainability
On the 2-3 June 2021, United for Efficiency (U4E) hosted a series of workshops on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) for lighting and cooling appliances. SPP is a process whereby public sector organisations meet their needs for goods and services in a way that achieves the best value for money on a whole life basis for the organisation and society. Three dimensions – environmental, social and economic – form the pillars of an SPP programme. The events gathered 57 participants, including ...Read More
ECOFRIDGES Senegal, a new financing mechanism launched by l’Agence pour l’Economie et la Maitrise de l’Energie and la Direction de l’Environnement et des Etablissement Classes in partnership with UNEP, BASE, Senelec, La Banque Agricole, Electronic Corp and SENFROID to ensure Senegalese access to sustainable cooling
Energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly refrigerators and air conditioners will be widely accessible and more affordable in Senegal through a new funding mechanism. ECOWAS Refrigerators and Air Conditioners Initiative (ECOFRIDGES) Senegal, coordinated by the Agency for the Economy and the Control of Energy (AEME) and the Directorate of the Environment and Classified Establishments (DEEC), collaborates with Senelec, La Banque Agricole as a partner bank, and Electronic Corp and SENFROID as ...Read More
Jamaica’s National Cooling Strategy Prepared for Cabinet Submission
Developed as part of the Caribbean Cooling Initiative (C-COOL), Jamaica’s National Cooling Strategy (JNCS) looks set to become the second such strategy adopted in the region, after a final refinement of its recommendations was undertaken by various inter-agency working groups prior to its submission to Cabinet. The commitment demonstrated by Jamaica as it enters the final stage toward approval, and subsequent implementation, is an excellent example for other countries seeking to meet their ...Read More
The Dominican Republic, seeking greater ambition in the fight against climate change, defines new actions in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning
The government of the Dominican Republic has defined ambitious actions on refrigeration and air conditioning as a result of a successful process to improve and update the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that involved all stakeholders in the Dominican territory. The NDC-RD 2020 was submitted to the UNFCCC in December 2020. The Dominican Republic is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change[1] given its status as an island country, its humid tropical climate, and its ...Read More