New energy conservation standards for room air conditioners
On 8th February, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that it has compiled a report on the new energy conservation standards for room air conditioners. The report estimates a maximum improvement of 34.7% for wall-mounted models compared to the current standards. The target year is set for 2027. Air conditioning accounts for about 30% of household energy consumption. METI aims at further improvement of energy consumption performance toward reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
For the wall-mounted models, APF (Annual Performance Factor) for cooling capacity of 2.2 to 4.0 kW was raised to 6.6. The target year is set for FY2027, taking into consideration the five years, which is equivalent to two development cycles of residential air conditioners, from the year when the public notice is scheduled to take effect in FY2022.
It was summarized at the Energy Conservation Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, “Standard of judgment working group for air conditioner and electric water heater equipment” (WG, Eiji Hihara, Project Professor, Research and Development Department, National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education)