A number of prototype thermoelectric refrigerators are investigated and their cooling performances evaluated in terms of the coefficient-of-performance, heat-pumping capacity and cooling-down rate. The coefficient-of-performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator is found to be around 0.3-0.5 for a typical operating temperature at 5 degrees C with ambient at 25 degrees C. The potential improvement in the cooling performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator is also investigated employing a realistic model, with experimental data obtained from this work. The results show that an increase in its COP is possible through improvements in module contact resistances, thermal interfaces and the effectiveness of heat exchangers. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.