Revised energy labels and minimum performance standards to help consumers achieve better energy efficiency for more energy savings and lower carbon footprint.           

Singapore, 2 March 2023 – To help consumers make better-informed decisions when purchasing home appliances, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will enhance the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (MELS) and the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) over the next two years.

2          These initiatives are part of NEA’s continual efforts to improve the energy efficiency of home appliances, and help consumers save on energy bills and contribute to climate change mitigation. These efforts are complemented by the Climate Friendly Households Programme, which provides 1 to 3 room HDB households with vouchers to purchase more efficient appliances.

Enhancements to Energy Labels and Standards

3          NEA will:

a.     Enhance the energy label and standards for lamps

b.     Introduce the energy label and standards for portable air-conditioners

c.     Raise standards for air-conditioners, refrigerators, and introduce standards to televisions

4          Energy labels for lamps were introduced in 2015 with a 3-tick rating scale. Since then, the energy efficiency of lamps in the market has improved, with energy-efficient LED lamps being widely available. NEA will raise energy standards to remove less efficient lamps and introduce a refreshed energy label with a 4-tick rating scale to help consumers better differentiate the energy efficiency of lamps in the market. The requirements will also be extended to T5 (i.e. fluorescent tube) lamps, which are commonly used in households and commercial buildings.

Introduce Energy Label and Standards for Portable Air-conditioners

5          Portable air-conditioners are generally less efficient than split-type air-conditioners.  They are typically used where the installation of split-type air-conditioners is not possible, or where supplementary or concentrated cooling is required. NEA will introduce energy standards and an energy label with a 2-tick rating scale for portable air-conditioners.

Raise Standards for Air-Conditioners and Refrigerators, and Introduce Standards to Televisions

6          The energy efficiency of home air-conditioners, refrigerators, and televisions has improved over the years. To keep up with technology improvements, NEA will raise energy standards for regulated split-type air-conditioners and refrigerators and introduce standards for televisions.

7          Refer to the Annex for details on the enhancements.

Background

Energy Label and Standards

8          The energy label and energy performance standards are key initiatives to reduce energy consumption and emissions of households by advancing energy efficient appliances.

9          The energy label helps consumers make informed decisions when buying energy intensive appliances. Manufacturers and suppliers are required to affix energy labels to appliances that are regulated under the Energy Conservation Act (ECA). The energy label carries information on the energy consumption and energy costs of each appliance. The number of ticks on the label also highlight the relative energy efficiency of an appliance, with more ticks indicating higher efficiency. The tick rating system also enables consumers to identify more efficient models quickly.

10        Energy standards raise the average energy efficiency of household appliances by instituting minimum energy efficiency levels that appliances in the market must meet. This protects consumers from being locked into the high energy costs of operating energy inefficient appliances.

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ANNEX

Overview of the Enhancements to MELS and MEPS

Infographic

Summary of MELS and MEPS enhancement

• To allow importers, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers time to clear their existing stock, products that are supplied to the market before the effective date will be exempted from the MELS and MEPS requirements for 1 year.
• COP_100% is defined as the ratio of total cooling capacity to effective power input at full load cooling capacity.

[1] Definition of Lamp Types:
CFLi         : Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) with integrated ballast
CFLni       : CFL (non-integrated ballast)
LEDi         : LED direct replacement bulb for CFLi
LEDni       : LED direct replacement bulb for CFLni
LFL           : Linear Fluorescent Lamp

Details of MELS and MEPS enhancement

Table 1: Current and Revised MEPS for Split-type Air-conditioners

• Weighted COP = 0.4 x COP_100% + 0.6 x COP_50%

Table 2: Current and Revised MEPS for Refrigerators

• V_adj tot is defined as the sum of the adjusted volumes of the refrigerator compartments.
•   'Through-the-door ice dispenser' means an automatic ice maker coupled with a device that delivers ice on demand externally through a door.
•   Annual Energy Consumption (AEC)

Table 3a: Revised Energy Label & Tick-Rating System for Lamps

• where h = f/P
• where P is the rated lamp power
• ɸ is the rated light output in lumen
• For covered CFLi, P = P_{covered CFLi} x 0.95

Table 3b: Current and Revised MEPS for Lamps

•  where h = f/P
•   where P is the rated lamp power
• ɸ is the rated light output in lumen
•   For covered CFLi, P = P_{covered CFLi} x 0.95

Table 4: MEPS for TVs

•  “A” refers to screen area as expressed in square decimeters

Table 5: Introduction of MELS and MEPS for portable air-conditioner