IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v137y2020ics0301421519307360.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Removing barriers and promoting demand-side energy efficiency in households in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case study in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Agyarko, Kofi A.
  • Opoku, Richard
  • Van Buskirk, Robert

Abstract

Adoption of higher energy efficiency for electrical appliances by consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is challenged with a number of barriers despite its long term energy savings and economic benefits. Inefficient electrical appliances continue to flood the markets of most SSA countries with just a few of the counties having resolute energy efficiency programs with established energy efficiency standards and labels. This paper examines the barriers to energy efficiency in SSA, with a case study on how Ghana was able to overcome these barriers by using high levels of stakeholder engagement to develop and implement its energy efficiency standards and labels for electrical appliances.

Suggested Citation

  • Agyarko, Kofi A. & Opoku, Richard & Van Buskirk, Robert, 2020. "Removing barriers and promoting demand-side energy efficiency in households in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case study in Ghana," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:137:y:2020:i:c:s0301421519307360
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111149
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519307360
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111149?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gerke, Brian F. & McNeil, Michael A. & Tu, Thomas, 2017. "The International Database of Efficient Appliances (IDEA): A new tool to support appliance energy-efficiency deployment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 453-464.
    2. Bukarica, Vesna & Tomšić, Željko, 2017. "Energy efficiency policy evaluation by moving from techno-economic towards whole society perspective on energy efficiency market," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 968-975.
    3. Trianni, Andrea & Cagno, Enrico & Farné, Stefano, 2016. "Barriers, drivers and decision-making process for industrial energy efficiency: A broad study among manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1537-1551.
    4. Khanna, Nina Zheng & Zhou, Nan & Fridley, David & Fino-Chen, Cecilia, 2013. "Evaluation of China's local enforcement of energy efficiency standards and labeling programs for appliances and equipment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 646-655.
    5. Jain, Manisha & Rao, Anand B. & Patwardhan, Anand, 2018. "Appliance labeling and consumer heterogeneity: A discrete choice experiment in India," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 213-224.
    6. Timilsina, Govinda R. & Hochman, Gal & Fedets, Iryna, 2016. "Understanding energy efficiency barriers in Ukraine: Insights from a survey of commercial and industrial firms," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 203-211.
    7. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    8. Loet Leydesdorff & Henry Etzkowitz, 1996. "Emergence of a Triple Helix of university—industry—government relations," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 23(5), pages 279-286, October.
    9. Shi, Xunpeng, 2014. "Setting effective mandatory energy efficiency standards and labelling regulations: A review of best practices in the Asia Pacific region," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 135-143.
    10. Baldini, Mattia & Trivella, Alessio & Wente, Jordan William, 2018. "The impact of socioeconomic and behavioural factors for purchasing energy efficient household appliances: A case study for Denmark," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 503-513.
    11. Kangas, Hanna-Liisa & Lazarevic, David & Kivimaa, Paula, 2018. "Technical skills, disinterest and non-functional regulation: Barriers to building energy efficiency in Finland viewed by energy service companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 63-76.
    12. Van Buskirk, Robert & Ben Hagan, Essel & Ofosu Ahenkorah, Alfred & McNeil, Michael A., 2007. "Refrigerator efficiency in Ghana: Tailoring an appliance market transformation program design for Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 2401-2411, April.
    13. Hochman, Gal & Timilsina, Govinda R., 2017. "Energy efficiency barriers in commercial and industrial firms in Ukraine: An empirical analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 22-30.
    14. Ouedraogo, Nadia S., 2017. "Africa energy future: Alternative scenarios and their implications for sustainable development strategies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 457-471.
    15. Gaspar, Rui & Antunes, Dalila, 2011. "Energy efficiency and appliance purchases in Europe: Consumer profiles and choice determinants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7335-7346.
    16. Craig, Christopher A. & Feng, Song, 2017. "Exploring utility organization electricity generation, residential electricity consumption, and energy efficiency: A climatic approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 779-790.
    17. Jari Kolehmainen & Joe Irvine & Linda Stewart & Zoltan Karacsonyi & Tünde Szabó & Juha Alarinta & Anders Norberg, 2016. "Quadruple Helix, Innovation and the Knowledge-Based Development: Lessons from Remote, Rural and Less-Favoured Regions," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 7(1), pages 23-42, March.
    18. Stadelmann, Marcel & Schubert, Renate, 2018. "How Do Different Designs of Energy Labels Influence Purchases of Household Appliances? A Field Study in Switzerland," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 112-123.
    19. Du, Minzhe & Wang, Bing & Zhang, Ning, 2018. "National research funding and energy efficiency: Evidence from the National Science Foundation of China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 335-346.
    20. Kenfack, Joseph & Lewetchou K., J. & Bossou, Olivier Videme & Tchaptchet, E., 2017. "How can we promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in Central Africa? A Cameroon case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1217-1224.
    21. de la Rue du Can, Stephane & Pudleiner, David & Pielli, Katrina, 2018. "Energy efficiency as a means to expand energy access: A Uganda roadmap," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 354-364.
    22. Trianni, A. & Cagno, E., 2012. "Dealing with barriers to energy efficiency and SMEs: Some empirical evidences," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 494-504.
    23. George A. Akerlof, 1970. "The Market for "Lemons": Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 84(3), pages 488-500.
    24. Dagnachew, Anteneh G. & Lucas, Paul L. & Hof, Andries F. & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2018. "Trade-offs and synergies between universal electricity access and climate change mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 355-366.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Naeher,Dominik & Narayanan,Raghavan & Ziulu,Virginia, 2021. "Impacts of Energy Efficiency Projects in Developing Countries : Evidence from a SpatialDifference-in-Differences Analysis in Malawi," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9842, The World Bank.
    2. Jose M. Gonzalez & James E. Tomlinson & Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña & Mohammed Basheer & Emmanuel Obuobie & Philip T. Padi & Salifu Addo & Rasheed Baisie & Mikiyas Etichia & Anthony Hurford & Andrea Bo, 2023. "Designing diversified renewable energy systems to balance multisector performance," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 415-427, April.
    3. Rafael Alvarado & Cristian Ortiz & Lizeth Cuesta & Brayan Tillaguango, 2023. "Spillovers impact of institutional and economic factors in energy intensity," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1805-1823, June.
    4. Salina Daud & Wan Noordiana Wan Hanafi & Bamidele Victor Ayodele & Jegatheesan Rajadurai & Siti Indati Mustapa & Nurul Nadiah Ahmad & Wan Mohammad Taufik Wan Abdullah & Siti Norhidayah Toolib & Maryam, 2023. "Residential Consumers’ Lifestyle Energy Usage and Energy Efficiency in Selected States in Malaysia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Ali, Muhammad Rizwan & Shafiq, Muhammad, 2021. "Revealing expert perspectives on challenges to electricity Demand-Side Management in Pakistan: An application of Q-Methodology," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ángeles Longarela-Ares & Anxo Calvo-Silvosa & José-Benito Pérez-López, 2020. "The Influence of Economic Barriers and Drivers on Energy Efficiency Investments in Maritime Shipping, from the Perspective of the Principal-Agent Problem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-42, September.
    2. Safarzadeh, Soroush & Rasti-Barzoki, Morteza & Hejazi, Seyed Reza, 2020. "A review of optimal energy policy instruments on industrial energy efficiency programs, rebound effects, and government policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    3. Zha, Donglan & Yang, Guanglei & Wang, Wenzhong & Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Dequn, 2020. "Appliance energy labels and consumer heterogeneity: A latent class approach based on a discrete choice experiment in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. de la Rue du Can, Stephane & Pudleiner, David & Pielli, Katrina, 2018. "Energy efficiency as a means to expand energy access: A Uganda roadmap," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 354-364.
    5. Naeher,Dominik & Narayanan,Raghavan & Ziulu,Virginia, 2021. "Impacts of Energy Efficiency Projects in Developing Countries : Evidence from a SpatialDifference-in-Differences Analysis in Malawi," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9842, The World Bank.
    6. Jain, Manisha & Rao, Anand B. & Patwardhan, Anand, 2018. "Appliance labeling and consumer heterogeneity: A discrete choice experiment in India," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 213-224.
    7. Safarzadeh, Soroush & Rasti-Barzoki, Morteza, 2019. "A game theoretic approach for assessing residential energy-efficiency program considering rebound, consumer behavior, and government policies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 44-61.
    8. Herrera, Bernardo & Amell, Andrés & Chejne, Farid & Cacua, Karen & Manrique, Raiza & Henao, Wilson & Vallejo, Gabriel, 2017. "Use of thermal energy and analysis of barriers to the implementation of thermal efficiency measures in cement production: Exploratory study in Colombia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1047-1058.
    9. Qiao Zhang & Jianxiong Zhang & Wansheng Tang, 2017. "Coordinating a supply chain with green innovation in a dynamic setting," 4OR, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 133-162, June.
    10. Michele Preziosi & Alessandro Federici & Roberto Merli, 2022. "Evaluating the Impact of Public Information and Training Campaigns to Improve Energy Efficiency: Findings from the Italian Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, March.
    11. Dash, Raj & Bhattacharjee, Biplab, 2024. "Consumer uptake of energy-efficient appliances in India's online marketplace: An electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) process model," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    12. Olsthoorn, Mark & Schleich, Joachim & Hirzel, Simon, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures for Non-residential Buildings: Technological and Organizational Heterogeneity in the Trade, Commerce and Services Sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 240-254.
    13. Joakim Haraldsson & Maria T. Johansson, 2019. "Barriers to and Drivers for Improved Energy Efficiency in the Swedish Aluminium Industry and Aluminium Casting Foundries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-27, April.
    14. Otrachshenko, Vladimir & Hartwell, Christopher A. & Popova, Olga, 2023. "Energy efficiency, market competition, and quality certification: Lessons from Central Asia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    15. Amaia de Ayala & María del Mar Solà, 2022. "Assessing the EU Energy Efficiency Label for Appliances: Issues, Potential Improvements and Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-25, June.
    16. Partha Gangopadhyay & Narasingha Das, 2022. "Can Energy Efficiency Promote Human Development in a Developing Economy?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    17. Antonella Biscione & Annunziata de Felice & Teodoro Gallucci, 2022. "Energy Saving in Transition Economies: Environmental Activities in Manufacturing Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
    18. Christian Haas & Karol Kempa, 2023. "Low-Carbon Investment and Credit Rationing," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 86(1), pages 109-145, October.
    19. F. Knobloch & J. -F. Mercure, 2016. "The behavioural aspect of green technology investments: a general positive model in the context of heterogeneous agents," Papers 1603.06888, arXiv.org.
    20. Xinhao Hu & Zhongbin Zhang & Dandan Cai, 2020. "A Mathematical Tightening of Instantaneous Indoor and Outdoor Dry-Bulb and Wet-Bulb Temperature Tolerances," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:137:y:2020:i:c:s0301421519307360. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.