Share“Benen ECOFRIDGES”: Senegal focuses on energy-efficient refrigeration to cut energy bills
Senegal’s Economy and Energy Management Agency (AEME), along with its institutional partners DIREC and Senelec, has launched the “Benen ECOFRIDGES” initiative as part of the ECOFRIDGES Senegal programme.
In February 2025, Senegal’s Economy and Energy Management Agency (AEME) officially announced the launch of the “Benen ECOFRIDGES” programme [1]. The programme aims to assist households in replacing their old refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment with new, energy-efficient, and environment-friendly equipment. “Benen ECOFRIDGES” will also reduce the use of obsolete second-hand equipment imported into Senegal.
Currently, over 70% of domestic refrigerators are purchased second-hand. According to AEME, substituting outdated refrigerators with more energy-efficient models could result in reducing Senegalese households’ electricity consumption by 19.8% by 2030 [2].
The programme operates on a pre-financing mechanism that makes it easier for households to purchase new refrigerators and air conditioners, with repayment spread over a 24-month period through the bills issued by the local power supplier, Senelec. The savings on electricity costs from using this energy-efficient equipment will facilitate repayment.
The objective of the initial stage is to replace 19,200 refrigerators and air conditioners, generating savings of FCFA 1.3 billion (USD 2.1 million). In the long term, replacing 330,000 refrigerators and 28,000 air conditioners will save up to FCFA 24.3 billion (approx. USD 40.2 million).
Sources
[2] Etude de marché des réfrigérateurs et des climatiseurs pour la faisabilité du projet ECOFRIDGES au Sénégal. Avril 2020. https://energy-base.org/app/uploads/2020/07/Ecofridges-Senegal-Rapport-Finale-Etude-de-Marche-version-finale-20200701.pdf