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The (Non-)Disclosure of Energy Efficiency: The Case of Cooling Technologies across Africa

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  • Pille-Riin Aja

    (CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Louis-Gaëtan Giraudet

    (ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Sébastien Houde

    (UNIL - Université de Lausanne = University of Lausanne)

Abstract

The adoption of air conditioning (AC) could grow exponentially across Africa under the joint effect of acute warming, sustained income growth and rapid urbanization. The implications for greenhouse gas emissions will crucially depend on the energy efficiency of the models adopted. Little is known, however, about how energy efficiency information is conveyed to consumers in these markets. To fill this gap, we gathered data on cooling appliances' characteristics from Africa's largest e-commerce platform, serving 13 countriess—Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. We find that less than 10% of the AC models available on the marketplace (N=1,229) have information disclosed about their energy performance. Information disclosure appears to be highly idiosyncratic with weak strategic motives. This overall lack of information about energy efficiency represents an important challenge for enforcing energy performance standards and steering demand toward energy-efficient cooling appliances.

Suggested Citation

  • Pille-Riin Aja & Louis-Gaëtan Giraudet & Sébastien Houde, 2024. "The (Non-)Disclosure of Energy Efficiency: The Case of Cooling Technologies across Africa," Post-Print hal-04456844, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04456844
    DOI: 10.1142/S2010007824400049
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://enpc.hal.science/hal-04456844v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Falchetta, Giacomo & Mistry, Malcolm N., 2021. "The role of residential air circulation and cooling demand for electrification planning: Implications of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    2. Alan Barreca & Karen Clay & Olivier Deschenes & Michael Greenstone & Joseph S. Shapiro, 2016. "Adapting to Climate Change: The Remarkable Decline in the US Temperature-Mortality Relationship over the Twentieth Century," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 124(1), pages 105-159.
    3. Alberto Cavallo & Roberto Rigobon, 2016. "The Billion Prices Project: Using Online Prices for Measurement and Research," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(2), pages 151-178, Spring.
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    Keywords

    energy efficiency; climate adaptation; air conditioning; Africa; e-commerce; webscraping;
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