Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

As energy-intensive mainstream products, residential refrigerators offer a significant opportunity to reduce electricity consumption through energy-efficiency improvements. This paper presents the results of a preliminary techno-economic analysis of refrigerator energy efficiency for South Africa. The analysis considers design options that can improve the efficiency of current refrigerator configurations. We then describe incentive program options for accelerating adoption of more-efficient refrigerators and associated energy savings. Based on the findings and on international experience with program designs, we briefly discuss possible program options to accelerate the market penetration of more efficient refrigerators. Finally, we point out that local data and stakeholder participation will be essential to refine and validate the analysis presented here and to develop a program that is best suited to the market conditions and barriers in South Africa.