Singapore revises MEPS rules for VRF Air Conditioners 
On April 1, 2021, the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore implemented the “Energy Conservation (Regulated Goods and Registered Suppliers) (Amendment) Regulations 2021” and the “Energy Conservation (Prescribed Regulated Goods) (Amendment) Order 2021.” These regulations and order amend the requirements for three-phase Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) air conditioners in the regulations and order of 2017. The former stipulates the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and the Mandatory Energy Labeling Scheme (MELS) for three-phase VRF air conditioners, and the latter provides the definition of three-phase VRF air conditioners.
On the same day, the NEA also announced the revision of the test standard for energy performance of single phase air conditioners.
The original texts of the regulations and orders can be downloaded from the following links:
- Energy Conservation (Regulated Goods and Registered Suppliers) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S199-2021/Published/20210331?DocDate=20210331 - Energy Conservation (Prescribed Regulated Goods) (Amendment) Order 2021
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S200-2021/Published/20210331?DocDate=20210331 - Energy Conservation (Regulated Goods and Registered Suppliers) Regulations 2017
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/ECA2012-S748-2017?DocDate=20171222&ViewType=Pdf&_=20171226195901 - Energy Conservation (Prescribed Regulated Goods) Order 2017
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/ECA2012-S747-2017/Historical/20180101?DocDate=20180928&ValidDate=20180101
The NEA’s announcement on the implementation of the revised regulations and order is available at:
https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/resource/circulars/20210429_circular-on-amendments-to-energy-conservation-(regulated-goods-and-registered-suppliers)-regulations.pdf
Energy efficiency requirements for three-phase VRF air conditioners
From April 1, 2021, three-phase VRF air conditioners placed on the domestic market are required to comply with the following requirements:
- MEPS
1-tick of the rating corresponds to MEPS. The rating is based on the Integrated Energy Efficiency Ratio (IEER), and represented in five levels from 1-tick (IEER 4.35~) to 5-tick (IEER 6.15~). - Company Registration and Product Registration
Importers and manufacturers of three-phase VRF air conditioners are required to register themselves and their products with NEA. - Energy label
Registered companies shall display the energy labels on their products and all publicity materials (digital and non-digital).
In addition, these revised regulations stipulate registration fees and test standards.
Revision of the energy performance testing standard for single phase air conditioners
From April 1, 2021, the following standards were applied to the energy performance testing for single phase air conditioners.
| Type of products | Test standard | Climate class |
|---|---|---|
| Window, Casement and Single split | ISO 5151:2017 | T1 |
| Multi-split | ISO 15042:2017 | T1 |
With effect of this revision, ISO 5151:2010 and ISO 15042:2011 were repealed.
The new test standards was used for test reports on and after April 1, 2021.
