The enhanced MEPS are part of Singapore’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions 

Singapore, 8 June 2021 – The National Environment Agency’s (NEA) is raising the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) of four appliance types that it regulates. This forms part of NEA’s ongoing efforts to help households become more energy efficient, contribute to reducing carbon emissions, and mitigate climate change.

2          From 1 January 2022, the new MEPS levels for the following appliances are:

a.  Refrigerators – Two ticks;
b.  Clothes dryers – Two ticks;
c.  Casement and window air-conditioners – Two ticks;
d.  Split-type air-conditioners – MEPS raised by seven per cent within the two-tick level.

3          In addition, the limits for standby power of split-type air-conditioners will also be lowered to reduce passive energy consumption. Details of the current and enhanced MEPS levels can be found in the Annex.

4          In implementing the enhanced MEPS, NEA will ensure that there is adequate variety and availability of models for households to choose from. The lifecycle costs of these appliances are expected to be the same or lower after the change. The higher standards will spur suppliers to introduce new and more energy efficient appliances over time.

5          With the standards, households will benefit from substantial life-cycle cost savings. Collectively, the household sector can reap an estimated $1.2 million in annual cost savings (equivalent to the electricity bill of 1,100 four-room HDB flats) and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2,000 tonnes from using less electricity.

6          Ahead of this enhancement, the public and industry were consulted in late 2020 and into 2021. There were no concerns over the enhanced requirements, and inputs received were considered in developing the enhanced requirements.

Background of the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (MELS) and MEPS

7          To reduce emissions in the household sector, the Government promotes the adoption of energy-efficient appliances in homes and encourages energy conservation habits amongst households. The Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (MELS) and the MEPS are key programmes to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the household sector.

8          Energy labels help consumers make informed decisions when buying energy intensive appliances. Manufacturers and suppliers are required to affix energy labels to appliances that are designated as regulated products under the Energy Conservation Act (ECA). The energy label contains information on the energy consumption and energy costs of an appliance model. It also highlights the relative energy efficiency of the model. More ticks on the label indicate higher efficiency. The objective of the tick rating system is to help consumers quickly identify more efficient models.

9          MEPS raises the average energy efficiency of household appliances by removing the least energy efficient appliances from the market. This helps consumers to avoid being burdened by high energy costs from operating energy inefficient appliances.

10        Since the introduction of MELS and MEPS, the average energy efficiency of household refrigerators, air-conditioners and clothes dryers have improved by 46 per cent, 42 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.

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ANNEX

Details of the Current and Enhanced MEPS Levels for Refrigerators, Clothes Dryers and Air-Conditioners

Table 1: Current and Enhanced MEPS for Refrigerators

• V_adjtotis 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 2: Current and Enhanced MEPS for Clothes Dryers

• Rated Capacity means the mass in kilograms of a particular type of dry textiles which, according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the clothes dryer, can be treated in a particular drying programme suitable for drying the particular type of dry textile.
• EC means Energy Consumption in kWh per wash

Table 3: Current and Enhanced MEPS for Casement/Window Air-conditioners

• COP: Coefficient of Performance

Table 4: Current and Enhanced MEPS for Split-type Air-conditioners

• COP_weighted = 0.4 x COP_100% + 0.6 x COP_50%

Standby power limits for split-type air-conditioner

Stand-by power limits were introduced in 2014 and are only applicable to five-tick air-conditioner models. Presently, more than 90 per cent of current air-conditioner models have low stand-by power not exceeding the current five-tick limit.

NEA will extend the standby power limits to three- and four-tick models and tighten the current stand-by power limit for five-tick multi-split models. Air-conditioners that do not meet the proposed stand-by power requirement of their current tick-rating will be re-rated to the next lower rating where it meets the associated standby power requirement.

Table 5: Current and Enhanced Stand-by power requirements for Split-type Air-conditioners