In the late 1990s, the New York City public housing authority, NYCHA, challenged manufacturers to design a new energy-efficient refrigerator. While suburban homeowners had their pick of energy-saving fridges, no one was selling an efficient model that was small enough for a typical urban apartment. A 1995 New York Times article referred to the refrigerators NYCHA was using at the time as "the kitchen equivalent of gas guzzlers."
Part of the problem was that fridge manufacturers didn't see a market. There was no incentive for the average landlord to spend extra money on efficient appliances because they didn't pay the electricity bills. But NYCHA both bought fridges and paid the bills. So the agency worked with the New York Power Authority, a public electric utility that serves NYCHA buildings, to hold a contest. They promised the winner a minimum purchase of 20,000 units.
