Model Regulation Guidelines For Energy-efficient And Climate-friendly Refrigerating Appliances

The Model Regulation Guidelines supplement the United for Efficiency (U4E) Refrigerator Policy Guide, “Accelerating the Global Adoption of Energy-Efficient and Climate-Friendly Refrigerators.”¹ It is voluntary guidance for governments in developing and emerging economies that are considering a regulatory or legislative framework that requires new refrigerating appliances to be energy-efficient and to use refrigerants with a lower global warming potential (GWP) than typical legacy refrigerants, and to ban the importation of used products.² It covers products commonly used in residential and light commercial applications. An accompanying Supporting Information Document includes the underlying rationale and methodologies.

Refrigerators are one of the first appliances sought by households as electricity becomes available and incomes rise. Ownership levels grow almost as fast as electrical grid connections. The projected stock of refrigerators in use in developing and emerging economies is expected to double from approximately 1 billion today to nearly 2 billion by 2030.³ Refrigerating appliances, while only part of the overall cold chain that is needed to maintain proper conditions for food and medicines, are invaluable for the health and well-being of consumers. The key is expanding access to cooling while mitigating impacts on energy supplies, the environment and the planet.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and energy labels, if well-designed and implemented, are some of the fastest and most effective approaches to transition markets toward more energy-efficient products. While a number of countries have MEPS and/or labels, many are outdated or unenforced. Inadequate MEPS and labels leave countries vulnerable as dumping grounds for products that cannot be sold elsewhere. Electricity consumption varies widely by type, size, age, and maintenance of the unit. Household refrigerating appliances in some unregulated markets have been found to consume over 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity (kWh) per year, whereas some of the best consume around one-fourth as much.⁴ Such savings
have profound impacts on the cost to own and operate these devices.

Refrigerating appliances require electricity and a refrigerant to operate. When electricity comes from fossil fuel power plants – which is the case for nearly 75 per cent of the electricity in non-OECD countries – greenhouse gasses and air pollution are emitted. Many refrigerants have a global warming potential of well over 1,000 times as potent as an equivalent molecule of carbon dioxide. Fortunately, technologies are widely available to improve energy efficiency and to use refrigerants with a lower global warming potential.