Methods and Benefits of Increasing Energy Efficiency in Desert Coolers

Enhancing the energy efficiency of appliances is one of the most significantways of energy saving. In this context, Iran's Energy Productivity Organization isputting in effect some policy measures to support desert cooler producers to improvethe energy efficiency of their products. This paper undertakes a cost-benefit analysisof the alternative ways of Energy efficiency enhancement in desert coolers. To thisend, we first investigate the feasibility of energy efficiency enhancement in desertcoolers and then estimate the costs and benefits of higher energy efficiency. Ourresults indicate that with available technologies there are several feasible and costeffective ways to increase energy efficiency of desert coolers. In addition, paymentof subsidy to cooler producers removes the financial barriers of producing efficientcoolers but does not guarantee the adoption of more efficient technologies by them.Without considering other determining factors (such as quality R&D and increasingthe consumer's awareness about the benefits of efficient appliances), theeffectiveness of adopted policy measures will remain uncertain.