What Efficiency for Access does

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition launched in 2018 to accelerate clean energy access for underserved households and productive-use customers in off-grid and weak-grid markets through affordable, high-performing appliances. It is co-chaired by UK aid (FCDO) and the IKEA Foundation and coordinated jointly by CLASP, an international appliance energy-efficiency non-profit, and the UK's Energy Saving Trust. The coalition operates through a portfolio of programmes rather than a single product: the Low-Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) flagship RD&D initiative (six workstreams), the Global LEAP Awards competition (running since 2014, 12 competitions to date), the VeraSol quality assurance programme (launched 2020, with independent testing and a public product database), a Research and Development Fund (£5m+ disbursed to 38 organisations across four calls), the CROWD Working Group for early-stage PURE companies, the Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator, and the Design Challenge (691 students across 42 universities in 18 countries over six years).

The coalition operates a donor-funded, grant-making business model. Funding flows in from 20 Donor Roundtable Members (IKEA Foundation, UK aid/TEA, Acumen, World Bank Group/IFC/ESMAP, Rockefeller Foundation, Shell Foundation, GEAPP, CHAI, USAID and others), and is distributed outward as grants (typically £50k-£270k per recipient) to appliance innovators, alongside technical assistance, quality standards, and market-development services. Coalition members and partners operate programmes across 62-65 countries, with named sub-regional programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, India, and Pakistan. End beneficiaries include smallholder farmers (over 500 million), health providers in off-grid facilities, underserved households, and over 685 million people globally without electricity access.

Downstream impacts documented include over 1.28 million beneficiaries reached through the Global LEAP+RBF programme, more than 280,000 off-grid appliances (refrigerators, TVs, solar water pumps, electric pressure cookers) catalysed across seven countries, and a cumulative addressable market estimated at USD 12.6 billion for off-grid TVs/fans/refrigerators, projected to reach USD 25.3 billion by 2030 (plus an estimated USD 15.6 billion market for solar water pumps in sub-Saharan Africa and India).

Name

Efficiency for Access

Legal name

Efficiency for Access

Website

https://efficiencyforaccess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition, co-chaired by UK aid and the IKEA Foundation and managed by CLASP and Energy Saving Trust, that accelerates clean energy access for underserved households and smallholder farmers by funding, testing, and promoting affordable off-grid appliances across 65 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Access Coalition

NAICS

Administrative and Support Services (561)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interconnection, Permitting & Grid Services for DERs (EUAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Clean energy access
• Off-grid appliances
• Solar appliances
• Energy efficiency
• Research and development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor and Foundation Funding: Efficiency for Access is funded through donor contributions from coalition members including foundations (IKEA Foundation), aid agencies (UK aid/USAID), development finance institutions (World Bank/IFC), and philanthropic organizations. The coalition coordinates programmatic activities and provides grants to innovators and companies in the off-grid appliance sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition that accelerates clean energy access by promoting affordable, high-performing, and inclusive off-grid and weak-grid appliances. It operates programmes that fund R&D, certify product quality, run awards and competitions, and build workforce capacity across the off-grid solar appliance ecosystem. The coalition does not sell products or services directly; it coordinates donor funding, technical assistance, and ecosystem partnerships spanning 65 countries.

Product overview

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition co-chaired by UK aid and the IKEA Foundation, coordinated by CLASP and the Energy Saving Trust, that accelerates clean energy access through affordable, high-performing, and inclusive appliances. The coalition operates a portfolio of programmes and campaigns rather than a single product or platform. At its core is the Low-Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) Programme, a flagship RD&D initiative delivered through six workstreams including a Research and Development Fund (which has awarded £5M+ to 38 organisations), Testing and Quality Assurance, and Workforce & Skills Development. Supporting the LEIA programme are the Global LEAP Awards (an international competition identifying best-in-class off-grid appliances since 2014), VeraSol (a quality assurance programme offering testing, certification, and a public product database), the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge (a university student competition engaging 691 students across 42 universities), the CROWD Working Group (a coordination body for early-stage PURE sector funders), and the Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator. The coalition also runs multiple thematic communications campaigns including Powering Inclusion, Cooling with Impact, Efficiency for AgTech, Solar Appliances for Our Planet, Appliances Are Vital, Appliances Empower, and Climate Resilient Appliances. R&D funding is channelled through structured calls: Open Call (2018), Cooling Call (2019), Enabling Technologies Call (2020), and Agritech Call (2023). The coalition also maintains a publications library of 193 resources and a news section with 275 updates. Coalition members and partners span 65 countries and 34 key technologies, with 20 Donor Roundtable Members, 19 Programme Partners, and 34 Investor Network members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEIA (Low-Energy Inclusive Appliances): Efficiency for Access flagship initiative - an innovative research, development, and demonstration programme seeking to improve the efficiency, performance, availability, and affordability of household, community, and productive use electrical appliances and solar-powered technologies.
• Global LEAP Awards
• VeraSol

Products and services

• Low-Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) Programme Efficiency for Access flagship RD&D programme that delivers workstreams on strategic partnerships, R&D funding, research, testing and quality assurance, workforce and skills development, and strategic communications to accelerate energy access through efficient appliances.
• Efficiency for Access Design Challenge Multi-disciplinary university student competition that empowers teams to design affordable, high-performing off-grid appliances and enabling technologies for clean energy access.
• Global LEAP Awards International competition and results-based financing programme that identifies and promotes best-in-class off-grid appliances and provides catalytic financing to drive uptake of high-quality products in off-grid and weak-grid markets.
• VeraSol Quality Assurance Programme Quality assurance programme offering test methods, lab capacity building, independent testing and certification, and a public searchable database of certified off-grid solar products, managed by CLASP in collaboration with the Schatz Energy Research Center.
• Research and Development Fund Grant funding mechanism for innovators developing off-grid and weak-grid appliance technologies across cooling, agritech, enabling technologies, and other focus areas, with awards ranging from £50,000 to £270,000 per organisation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cumulative market opportunity of USD 12.6 billion globally for off-grid TVs, fans, and refrigerators, projected to reach USD 25.3 billion by 2030
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and minor.

• CLASPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational appliance energy efficiency and market development specialist not-for-profit organisation. Serves as co-secretariat for Efficiency for Access, coordinating programmatic activities and managing the VeraSol quality assurance programme.
• Energy Saving TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK organisation specializing in energy efficiency product verification, data and insight, advice, and research. Serves as co-secretariat for Efficiency for Access and manages the R&D Fund.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal health organization committed to saving lives and reducing disease burden. Partners on health and energy efficiency initiatives, working to expand linkages between energy access and health outcomes.
• GOGLAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal association for off-grid solar energy industry, representing over 135 members. Works on market development, quality standards, and industry coordination with Efficiency for Access.
• 60 DecibelssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact measurement company known for Lean Data approach. Measures social impact across the world, gathering customer, agent, staff, stakeholder insights, and social impact data for the sector.
• Practical ActionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work for people in poverty. Hosts the Global Distributors Collective. Works on agriculture, water, climate resilience, and clean energy.
• Engineers Without Borders UKmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspires and enables the engineering community to serve people and planet. Delivers the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge, educating over 6,500 students annually through the Engineering for People Design Challenge.
• EEP AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides early stage support to innovative clean energy projects in Southern and East Africa. Co-chair of CROWD Working Group. Focuses on grant financing, investment facilitation, and knowledge sharing.
• KoolboksminorOthersParis-based climate technology company developing solar-powered refrigeration solutions. Received funding through Agritech Call to field-test IoT-enabled solar freezers and assess cooling-as-a-service viability in Africa.
• Agritech Advance GranteesminorOthersFollow-on funding to Agritech Call recipients including aQysta, CoolVeg Foundation, Rural Aquaculture Development (RAD), and Synnefa Green Limited to scale clean energy agricultural technologies across sub-Saharan Africa.
• BBOXXminorOthersDeveloped affordable solar-powered irons for off-grid markets in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of the Open Call. Game-changing iron offering efficiency, durability, multiple energy settings at affordable price point.
• M-KOPAminorOthersDeveloped smart battery chips enabling real-time reporting of battery health for off-grid appliances, allowing customers to prevent maintenance costs and improve service uptime.
• CoolHubsminorOthersImproving reliability and affordability of refrigeration through development of solar-powered cold storage units for smallholder farmers and producers.
• Promethean Power SystemsminorOthersDeveloped thermal energy storage for milk chilling and cooling as a service solution for off-grid villages, improving milk quality and raising income of smallholder dairy farmers in India.
• Amped InnovationminorOthersDeveloping affordable solar-powered fridge/freezer and ice maker using phase change materials to increase accessibility of cooling for off-grid areas.
• NeopendaminorOthersPiloting affordable and wireless vital signs monitoring technology in low-resource health facilities in East Africa, improving healthcare delivery in off-grid settings.
• Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator CompaniesminorOthersFive organisations awarded funding including Agrotech Plus, Chill Zone, Keep IT Cool, Kuza Coolers, and Savanna Circuit, working on solar-powered cold chain solutions for Kenyan agriculture and fisheries.
• Schatz Energy Research CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt Humboldt State University. Collaborates with CLASP to manage VeraSol quality assurance programme, developing test methods and standards for off-grid solar products.
• Lighting GlobalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Bank Group programme providing foundational support for VeraSol quality assurance framework. VeraSol builds upon Lighting Global Quality Assurance foundation.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King)minorOthersDeveloped smart solar fridge control systems integrating with existing AC refrigerators to provide affordable, reliable cooling for off-grid communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Sure ChillminorOthersDeveloped innovative control platform and compressor combination using phase change materials for solar home systems, removing need for battery by converting electricity to thermal energy.
• AgsolminorOthersDeveloping solar-powered micro mills two to three times more efficient than other small electric mills, providing decentralised milling services for off-grid rural communities.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GOGLA: Global association for the off-grid solar energy industry representing 135+ members; partners with Efficiency for Access on market development, quality standards, and industry coordination.
• CLASP: Co-secretariat of Efficiency for Access and a directly comparable nonprofit focused on appliance energy efficiency and market development globally; co-manages VeraSol quality assurance programme.
• Practical Action: International development organisation focused on poverty through technology, including clean energy access; hosts the Global Distributors Collective and partners with Efficiency for Access.
• Acumen: Nonprofit global venture fund investing in early-stage companies tackling poverty, including 21 energy companies; coalition member providing investor perspective alongside Efficiency for Access programmes.
• GET.invest: European programme mobilising investment in renewable energy in developing countries; CROWD Working Group member and a directly comparable donor-coordination platform for energy access.
• Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP): Coalition of philanthropy and development finance institutions accelerating green energy transitions in developing economies; overlaps substantially with Efficiency for Access funders and mission.
• Clean Cooking Alliance: Global coalition focused on clean cooking access, structurally analogous to Efficiency for Access in donor coordination, grants, and product standards for energy access consumers.
• Energy Saving Trust: UK energy efficiency organisation and co-secretariat of Efficiency for Access; manages the R&D Fund and shares core programmatic DNA around clean energy appliances and verification.
• Lighting Global: World Bank Group programme whose quality assurance framework is the foundation on which VeraSol was built; operates in the same off-grid solar product testing and certification space.

Emerging players

• Carbon Trust: International climate and energy consultancy that delivers the UK aid Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, a major Efficiency for Access co-chair funder; operates adjacent clean energy access programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/efora_coalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/efficiencyforaccess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Efficiency for Access