Heating and cooling of enclosed spaces and of water account for the majority of energy use worldwide, particularly in buildings, industries and cities. Fossil fuels are the dominant source of fuel supplying essential heating and cooling in Asia and the Pacific. Air conditioning has become one of the main drivers for growing electricity demand in South Asia and Southeast Asia. In Central Asia, many of the heating supply and distribution systems are old, inefficient, and in urgent need of modernization. However, the heating tariffs are subsidized and do not reflect actual production costs. What are governments doing to address these challenges and promote the efficient use of heating and cooling, including through district heating, solar thermal and heat pumps? How are national cooling action plans and strategies being deployed in the region? What are the best available technologies to deliver more efficient cooling and heating to buildings, industries and cities in the region? What has been the role of the private sector in investing and providing energy services to support more efficient heating and/or cooling systems? What approaches have governments been using to raise consumer awareness on energy efficiency in heating and cooling?

This session will explore cutting-edge strategies and initiatives aimed at driving energy efficiency in heating and cooling solutions. Presentations will include a review of government policies from around the world that incentivize the adoption of heat pumps as a sustainable heating solution; a description of USAID’s innovative market transformation approach towards low-carbon cooling and heating solutions in India; the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership's (ETP’s) support for Vietnam's National Green Cooling Program and Roadmap; and a smart air-conditioning initiative with air filtration and energy efficiency that optimizes building energy performance and indoor air quality, and which has been pilot tested in Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh. Participants in this session will gain an overview of the latest trends in addressing energy demand in cooling and promoting sustainability for a greener future in the midst of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.