Overview : The South African government through the Department of Energy (DoE) in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the project “Market Transformation through the Introduction of Energy Efficiency Standards and the Labelling of Household Appliances in South Africa”. The objectives are removing inefficient appliances from the South African market and encouraging adoption of efficient technologies by implementing measures/interventions such as minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), labelling programs, and incentive programs. The overarching goal is to generally reduce the national electricity consumption and the carbon footprint. Objective of Assignment Air conditioners (ACs) are among the most energy intensive products available in the market and are typically used in residential homes, commercial buildings such as offices and shopping malls as well as manufacturing premises in industrial buildings. Understanding AC’s market penetration, characteristics and energy usage is therefore key in determining the appropriateness of measures /interventions for market transformation. The purpose of this study is to uncover the current market trends of ACs in South Africa and identify the main market barriers that limit the penetration of more efficient ACs as well as suitable measures/interventions. The study will compare the results of the study with international best practices and recommend regulatory and non-regulatory measures/interventions to advance market transformation of ACs sold in South Africa. |