Cooling for All

The report outlines a multi-pronged approach to building cooling, emphasizing the transition from active air conditioning to passive design and high-efficiency technology. It details various technical solutions—ranging from 'super-efficient' AC units and passive cooling techniques to wearable devices and the use of waste cold from LNG terminals. The document also analyzes policy levers such as Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and behavior change campaigns like Japan's 'Cool Biz'. Finally, it explores innovative business models to improve affordability for the poor, including Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG), ESCO models, and public-private partnerships in countries like India, Mexico, and Bangladesh.

• Passive cooling should be the primary method for meeting cooling needs to minimize demand before employing active solutions. These measures include preventive design, modulation/heat dissipation, ventilation, radiative cooling, reflective cooling, evaporative cooling, and earth coupling.
• Low-tech, low-energy cooling solutions are being deployed for low-income households, such as the 'Eco Cooler' in Bangladesh made from plastic bottles and terracotta tube coolers in Delhi, India, which can lower internal temperatures by approximately 5°C.
• Japan's 'Cool Biz' campaign, which encourages offices to keep thermostats at or above 28°C and allows employees to dress less formally, avoided 9.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions between 2005 and 2010.
• The use of 'waste cold' from LNG re-gasification at import terminals presents a significant opportunity; in the UK, recoverable waste cold is estimated at 80 TWh/annum, nearly matching the country's total cooling demand.
• Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) are critical for curbing energy demand. While Japan has some of the most stringent requirements, countries like Nigeria, Indonesia, and Myanmar have only recently introduced or are still developing these standards.
• Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) and servitization models, such as those used for solar energy in East Africa and Nigeria, can reduce the income threshold for owning cooling technology by converting it into a commodity with flexible payment schedules.
• Public-private partnerships and social impact procurement can scale access to cooling. Examples include Mexico's Patrimonio Hoy program for affordable housing and Bangladesh's IDCOL initiative, which installed over 4 million solar home systems as of May 2017.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2018). Cooling for All. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2019-05/CoolingSolutionsforBuildings.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Cooling for All. 2018. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2019-05/CoolingSolutionsforBuildings.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Cooling for All |date=March 2018 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2019-05/CoolingSolutionsforBuildings.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2018cooling, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Cooling for All}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2019-05/CoolingSolutionsforBuildings.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }