Air Conditioners

Space cooling demand is rising rapidly, particularly in hot and urbanising regions. Air conditioners are already a major driver of electricity demand and peak loads, placing growing strain on power systems. As temperatures rise and access to cooling expands, improving the efficiency and climate performance of air conditioners is critical to deliver affordable comfort while limiting energy use, costs, and emissions.

Reliable and efficient air conditioning is critical to:

Protect health and productivity during extreme heat
Reduce peak electricity demand and avoid grid overloads
Lower energy bills for households and businesses
Support climate resilience in rapidly growing cities

The Energy Efficiency Opportunity

Air conditioning drives peak electricity demand 
Electricity for air conditioning can account for around 30% of summer peak load in warm climates, and up to 60% in hot climates, particularly in large metropolitan areas.
More than 30% higher efficiency is already available 
The most efficient air conditioners on the market are over 30% more energy efficient than average models currently sold.
Climate-friendly refrigerants can double benefits
Switching to refrigerants with low global warming potential could potentially double the climate benefits of energy efficiency improvements in air conditioners.
Large savings for power systems and consumers
Improving air conditioner efficiency could deliver nearly 410 TWh of annual electricity savings by 2040, avoid the construction of around 187 large power plants, reduce CO₂ emissions by about 355 million tonnes annually, and save consumers around USD 61 billion on electricity bills each year.