Notification of new energy efficiency standards for home air conditioners
Working Group on Classification Standards for Air conditioners and
Electric Water Heaters
Notification of New Energy Efficiency Standards for Home Air conditioners
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, based on the laws and regulation, has been promoting energy efficiency approaches by setting the energy efficiency standards to be satisfied by the manufacturers, etc. in the target fiscal year as to the devices and equipment which are particularly required to improve energy consumption efficiency. Based on that heating and cooling account for a particularly large ratio (about 30%) of household energy consumption, review of the energy efficiency standards for home air conditioners was discussed by the Working Group on Classification Standards for Air Conditioners and Electric Water Heaters, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Subcommittee, Committee on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy to summarize a report in February 2022, which defines a new target fiscal year, energy efficiency standards, etc. Based on this, METI issued an official notification on May 31, 2022, which defines the new energy efficiency standards, etc. targeting FY2027 or FY2029. The following describes the excerpts of the report (outline) by the Working Group on Classification Standards for Air Conditioners and Electric Water Heaters, which is the basis of this notification (writing partly modified by the Editorial Department).
1. Background for Preparation of This Report
Concerning the home air conditioners, the standards targeting FY2010 or FY2012 were set in 2006 and have already been achieved by all business operators. After formulation of the current standards, however, a new measuring method has been developed by JIS C 9612:2013. Since heating and cooling account for a particularly large ratio (about 30%) of household energy consumption, it is necessary to further improve energy consumption performance by reviewing targeted standard energy consumption efficiency (energy efficiency standards) under a new measuring method according to actual usage of home air conditioners.
2. Scope of Targeted Home Air Conditioners
As with the current standards, the targeted air conditioners shall include the non-ducted wall-hung type, other than non-ducted wall-hung type (cassette type, through-the-wall type, standing type) and multi-type home air conditioners. However, the current non-applicable ones (window type, etc.) continue to be excluded from the scope because their ratio of total power consumption of overall air conditioners and their market ratio are low.
3. Matters to Be Used as Evaluation Standards for Manufacturers, etc.
(1) Energy consumption efficiency and measuring method
In the current standards, “Room Air Conditioners” (JIS C 9612:2005) are employed to measure energy consumption efficiency (APF (Annual Performance Factor) of home air conditioners. This JIS provision was revised in 2013 to review the measuring conditions, etc. The measuring method in the next-term energy efficiency standards shall be the one to be defined by “Room Air Conditioners” (JIS C 9612:2013), using the following formula to calculate.
(2) Target fiscal years
The target fiscal years for home air conditioners shall be as follows.
(i) Non-ducted wall-hung type: FY2027
(ⅱ) Other than non-ducted wall-hung type, multi-type: FY2029
(3) Categories and target standards
Table 1 shows the categories and target standards for home air conditioners. For category setting, the current standards were reviewed on the following two points.
・Abolition of the dimension categories (dimension-defined type/free-dimension type)
・Addition of specification categories (non-cold region/cold region)
As with the current energy efficiency standards, the target standards shall be rounded to the 1st decimal place. When calculating them by the calculation formula, the 2nd decimal place shall be rounded off.
Table 1. Categories and Target Standards of Home Air Conditioners
Note 1 “Cooling capacity” refers to the rated cooling capacity defined by “Room Air Conditioners” (JIS C 9612:2013).
Note 2 “Cold region” refers to the regional categories 1 to 4 defined by Appended Table 10 of the “Matters Pertaining to Calculation Methods in Ministry Ordinance Defining Building Energy Consumption Performance Standards, etc.”. “Cold region design” shall satisfy the following three items.
Designed and manufactured to prevent trouble attributable to accumulation of snow and low temperatures.
Capable of exhibiting the rated standard heating capacity or more at the ultralow heating temperature (–7°C) defined by JIS B 8615-1:2013.
Capable of satisfying the operating performance requirements defined by JIS B 8615-1:2013, 6.3.5 at the cold-region lowest outdoor temperature (–15°C or lower) in the regions mentioned in the explanation table of JIS C 9612:2013.
Note 3 E: Standard energy consumption efficiency (APF)
Note 4 A: Cooling capacity of the relevant model (kW)
(4) Achievement evaluation method
It is required to ensure that the weighted harmonic mean of energy consumption efficiency (APF) of devices to be shipped in each fiscal year after the target fiscal year calculated by shipment volume for each category does not fall below that of standard energy consumption efficiency calculated by shipment volume for each category.
As a special case of achievement evaluation, in the case of having the category falling below standard energy consumption efficiency and if the weighted harmonic mean (average APF by company) of energy consumption efficiency (APF) of each device calculated by shipment volume does not fall below that (standard energy consumption efficiency by company) of standard energy consumption efficiency calculated by shipment volume for each category, it may be assumed to be not falling below in each category.
Since the target fiscal year differs from one category to another, however, calculation shall be made only as to Categories I to IV for FY2027 and FY2028, and as to those I to X for FY2029 or later.
4. Proposal, etc. for Energy Efficiency
Active and continuous efforts of parties concerned (users, distributors, manufacturers and government) are indispensable to steadily improve energy consumption efficiency of home air conditioners under new standard energy consumption efficiency. For this purpose, a proposal was made in expectation of their further efforts.