Higher energy standards for refrigerators from December 2017

Channel NewsAsia 25 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE: Energy standards will be raised for refrigerators being sold in Singapore starting next December, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Friday (Nov 25).

The Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for the appliance will be raised by between 5 and 13 per cent, depending on the refrigerator category. The number of ticks indicates the relative energy efficiency of the product.

The least energy efficient refrigerator models within the 1-tick band that do not meet the enhanced MEPS will be phased out. These models represent about 15 per cent of all refrigerator models currently available in the market. Sales of the remaining 1-tick models that meet the enhanced MEPS can continue.

The move will help households save on energy costs and increase the supply of more energy efficient refrigerators in the market, the agency said, adding that refrigerators account for about 18 per cent of total household electricity consumption.

Households that use a three-tick refrigerator instead of a one-tick model can save an estimated S$75 in electricity bills each year, it noted.

NEA said that since the introduction of mandatory energy labelling in 2008 and MEPS for refrigerators in 2011, the average efficiency of refrigerators has improved by about 26 per cent, resulting in more than S$18 million in annual energy cost savings for households, or the yearly electricity consumption of around 14,000 homes.

These measures have also led to a total carbon abatement of about 0.03 MT - equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of close to 9,000 cars, it added.

- CNA/kk