USAID and LBNL expand engagement with the government and HVAC industry in Ecuador to advance energy efficiency (EE) standard for air conditioners.

Electricity consumption for cooling in the residential sector in Ecuador represents up to 27% of total energy use in coastal areas and is projected to grow significantly as the ownership rate of air conditioning units is expected to increase in the next few years.  As part of USAID’s Energy Efficiency for Development program (EE4D), LBNL is working on a proposal to update the current minimum energy performance standard (MEPS) for room ACs to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions associated with this end use. Last week, with support from USAID/Ecuador and Tetra Tech, an LBNL team held meetings in Quito and Guayaquil with key government officials and HVAC industry leaders to present the project and get valuable inputs for the development of the proposed update. The activity was a follow-on to LBNL’s participation in the mission conducted by USAID’s Energia Sostenible para Ecuador (ESE) project on September 2022. As the Government of Ecuador is currently reviewing technical standards for different products to improve competitiveness and adhere to international regulatory best practices, expanded engagement by USAID and LBNL with key actors in the regulatory space will help in highlighting the economic and environmental benefits of an updated MEPS for ACs.