Electricity Consumption, Exchange-rebate Facility, and Banning of Imported Second-hand Refrigerators: Reviewing an On-going Process

Second-hand and old refrigerators are relatively not energy-efficient. They also use refrigerants such as chloroflourocarbons and hydroflourochlourocarbons. They therefore cause climate change and ozone-layer depletion. Among these and other reasons was the implementation of the Montreal protocol in 1987. The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was therefore established to assist needy nations to facilitate the implementation of the protocol. Ghana therefore qualified for the fund and thereby in March 2013 introduced a rebate programme on refrigerators. Households were invited at will to submit old refrigerators for new ones at subsidized prices. As an on-going process, however, it appears the patronage of the facility is not encouraging. The purpose of the study being qualitative and quantitative was therefore to ascertain the response of the public to the exchange-rebate facility in relation to electricity cost and banning of second-hand refrigerators. Cape Coast Polytechnic in Ghana was used as a case study. One-hundred-and-twenty questionnaire were administered at a response rate of 95 percent. Interviews were also conducted among seven suppliers and retailers. Stratified and systematic random sampling methods were employed. SPSS Version 17 was used to analyze data. Cross-tabulations and chi-square tests were also utilized in analyzing the data. It was found that monthly electricity cost per household ranged between 8.00 ($2.49) and GH¢155.00 ($35.74). Only 11% of those using imported second-hand refrigerators had patronized the facility. It is recommended that CEPS and the Energy Commission should intensify their monitoring activities at harbors, national borders and retail shops that still sell imported second-hand refrigerators in the country. Key words: climate change, energy-efficient, ozone-layer