The World Bank has warned that increasing dependence on air conditioning to cope with rising temperatures could place severe pressure on electricity grids in Nigeria and other developing economies with weak or limited power infrastructure.
The warning is contained in the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development, which notes that as global temperatures climb, demand for cooling is rising rapidly, particularly in low-income and fast-urbanising regions.
While active cooling, especially air conditioning, remains one of the most effective ways to adapt to extreme heat, the Bank said it is highly energy-intensive and poses significant risks to already fragile power systems.
It cautioned that as adoption expands, electricity grids will come under increasing strain, especially in countries where generation and transmission capacity remain constrained.
The report, however, highlighted significant opportunities to mitigate the impact through efficiency gains. It noted that evidence from India, Indonesia and Nigeria shows that doubling the energy efficiency of room air conditioners by 2030 could cut their life-cycle costs by about 60 per cent and expand access to an additional 320 million people by 2050.
To address the challenge, the World Bank emphasised the use of policy tools such as minimum energy performance standards and building codes, saying a combined approach would enable governments to develop flexible, context-specific solutions aligned with local climate conditions, housing types and income levels.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government approved new minimum energy performance standards for air conditioners in March 2025 as part of efforts to curb rising electricity demand and reduce emissions.
The World Bank said the standards are expected to save about 11.5 terawatt-hours of electricity annually and cut carbon emissions by an estimated 39 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The Bank’s concerns come as efforts continue to expand access to energy-efficient appliances across the country. The Rural Electrification Agency has previously disclosed plans to support rural communities with energy-efficient and electric-productive equipment under its Productive Use Equipment and Appliance initiative.
Under the Nigeria Electrification Project, the agency aims to provide about 24,500 micro, small and medium enterprises with energy-efficient productive appliances.
Recent data from the agency indicate that Nigeria requires at least five million off-grid solar systems to serve unpowered and underserved communities.
Experts estimate that deploying just half of that target could generate millions of certified emission reductions annually, with each unit tradable for foreign exchange and capable of attracting new investment inflows.
SOURCE: dailytimesng.com