Amendment to Air Conditioners Standard
As of 1 April 2008, Amendment No. 3 to Part 2 of the Standard for air conditioners and heat pumps (AS/NZS3823.2:2005) has now been incorporated into the Energy Efficiency (Energy Using Products) Regulations 2002. The changes are technical and will not affect current MEPS levels or labelling requirements. You can obtain a copy of the Amendment from Standards New Zealand.
The key changes are summarised below:
- Deletion of future MEPS levels previously indicated in table 3.1 of the Standard for introduction from October 2008
As previously advised, the MEPS levels indicated for introduction from October 2008 have been postponed. To reflect this, the Standard has been amended to remove the 2008 MEPS levels (Table 3.1). They will be reviewed and a new introduction date proposed. It is likely this will be in 2009 or 2010, to coincide with a revision to the energy rating label - Exemption from labelling requirements for non-ducted models designed specifically for commercial applications
As labels are a source of consumer information, under the Amendment an exemption from labelling can be granted if a supplier can satisfy the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority that a model is designed for and used only in non-residential applications and/or will not be displayed for sale in a retail outlet or promoted as suitable for some residential applications. - More stringent MEPS registration requirements for variable output air conditioners, where they do not meet MEPS at rated output
This is not a change in MEPS levels. Variable output air conditoners operate at less than their rated output much of the time. Under the current Standard, if they don’t meet MEPS at rated capacity, they can be listed as compliant if they meet MEPS at part load (anywhere between 50 and 100%).
This amendment to the Standard introduces more stringent requirements for determining that a product complies with MEPS at part load. Currently only 5% of variable output models in New Zealand and Australia use this option for registration/listing.
The new requirements are outlined below (they will replace Clause 3.4 of the current Standard).
Appliances with variable output compressors that do not meet the MEPS requirements at rated capacity (under CONDITION T1 in either AS/NZS 3823.1.1, AS/NZS 3823.1.2, or AS/NZS 3823.1.3) are deemed to comply with MEPS if they meet both of the following requirements:
(a) The tested EER at rated capacity is not less than 95% of specified MEPS level.
(b) The tested EER of a part load point selected by the supplier and documented with a test report supplied with the registration/listing demonstrates that the model meets or exceeds either one of the following two requirements:
(i) For an output in the range 83.3% to 100% of rated capacity, the tested EER meets or exceeds the MEPS level.
(ii) For an output in the range 50% to 83.3% of rated capacity, the tested EER meets or exceeds the following equation:
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This equation means that at any point between 50 and 83.3% of rated capacity, to show MEPS compliance a variable output air conditioner must meet or exceed a level that is a straight line increase from MEPS at 83.3% to 1.1xMEPS at 50% rated capacity.
Please note that Australian and New Zealand regulators intend to carefully review and possibly remove the part load MEPS compliance option as part of the full Standard review being undertaken this year.
How will this affect me as a supplier?
The impact of the Amendment to the Standard on suppliers of air conditioners and heat pumps will be minimal. In particular it does not:
- Alter current levels for MEPS and energy labelling
- Affect existing registrations of air conditioners and heat pumps
- Result in increased compliance costs for industry.
The Amendment will not affect any products currently registered for MEPS compliance at part load. Only registrations using this option after 1 April 2008 will have to meet the new requirements. Currently only 5% of registered models with variable output compressors use this option.
Last updated 11/04/08