Celebrating four years of Cooling for All

In July 2021, the Cooling for All programme at Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) celebrated its fourth anniversary, having grown from a fledgling initiative designed to draw awareness to access to cooling to a Results Offer within SEforALL that applies the knowledge, tools, and data it develops to country support and advocacy campaigns. As the programme evolves to its next phase, SEforALL conducted an external evaluation for the period of July 2017 to May 2021 to understand its successes, shortcomings, and strengths going forward. 

Using contribution analysis and realist evaluation methods, the evaluation highlighted three key achievements of the programme over the last four years.

Shifting the narrative around sustainable cooling

Across the world, over 1 billion people lack access to cooling, impacting their lives and livelihoods. In a warming world, access to sustainable cooling is not a luxury; it is an issue of equity that underpins the ability of millions to realise the SDGs. 

At the outset, Cooling for All intended to establish access to cooling as a development and equity issue among energy policymakers and investors and as a commercial opportunity for suppliers. The programme has proved transformational in this regard. 

Through unique messaging about cooling and equity, leveraging SEforALL’s brand with senior energy decision makes, and providing credible evidence about the scale of the issue and potential benefits Cooling for All has brought about a shift in the narrative around the issue. 

Data and evidence provided by the Chilling Prospects series were particularly effective in supporting policy change and the mobilisation of finance for sustainable cooling.

However, the evaluation also found little engagement with food, agriculture and health policymakers, investors and their advisors and recommended engagement at a more strategic level to mainstream access to cooling in development projects. 

Influencing investment in access to cooling solutions 

Cooling for All’s data and evidence was found to have supported some countries to identify the need for more stringent Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) in order to avoid excessive energy consumption caused by increased use of cooling, which they have included in their National Cooling Action Plans. The technical expertise of Cooling for All’s staff was recognised and valued by policymakers, investors, suppliers and partners.