The Korea Energy Foundation old refrigerator replacement for low income households activity

Focus area: Mitigation Website
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Established: July 2010

The Korea Energy Foundation (KEF) activity involves the replacement of 3,052 old and low-efficiency refrigerators in low-income households. Newly designed energy efficient and eco-friendly refrigerators will replace the old ones. The activity will be implemented in households throughout the Republic of Korea.

Mitigation / Adaptation

This activity was begun in July 201 and has already achieved CO2 mitigation. Although an official assessment has not been made, it is expected to achieve mitigation of 800 tonnes.

Benefits

According to the research from Statistics Korea and the KEF, the energy costs of low-income households has worsen year on year between 2003-2008. This project would work to improve this statistic, via more energy efficient refrigerators in low-income households. The increased efficiency would then use less electricity, leading to reduced costs - which at the moment are a serious burden to poor households.

Potential for scaling-up and replication

The Korean government is willing to increase the scale of this project in the coming year. The expansion will include other household products, such as washing machines and air conditioners - replacing outdated and inefficient ones with energy efficient ones. This should help to stimulate interest in the use of energy efficient home appliances and lead to a decreased social cost for energy demand control.