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Response to the Proposal on Review of the Grading Standards under the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme

  • Consultation Papers
  • 2014.04.30

1. The Consumer Council supports the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department's proposal to review and upgrade the grading requirements for room air conditioners, refrigerating appliances and washing machines under the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS). The Council considers that upgraded standards will be better able to assist consumers to differentiate between products of different levels of energy efficiency performance, and encourage product suppliers to market more energy efficient products.

2. The Council believes that more stringent grading thresholds would help promote more energy-efficient appliances and their use would reduce energy consumption by consumers and contribute to sustainable consumption in the long term. Moreover, applying up-to-date test standards would reflect advances in technology and uplift the actual performance of products covered.

3. It is expected that for some product models currently registered under MEELS, their energy efficiency grades under the proposed revised grading criteria would be lower than their current grading. Care should be taken to ensure that changes arising should not be confusing to consumers when they compare the energy efficiency of products subject to different grading thresholds.

4. The Council would urge upon the importance of publicizing the relevant information about changes in grading under MEELS to the public.

5. In addition to room air conditioners, refrigerating appliances and washing machines covered in the proposal, the Council suggests that the grading requirements of the other prescribed products under MEELS should also be reviewed and upgraded in due course.

6. Some further comments specifically in relation to room air conditioners, refrigerating appliances and washing machines are outlined below.

 

Room Air Conditioners

7. The Council supports the proposal of using Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) for the evaluation of energy efficiency performance of room air conditioners so that actual performance can be more accurately reflected especially for the inverter type models.

 

Refrigerating Appliances

8. The Council supports the proposal of removing ISO standards from the MEELS of refrigerating appliances since the relevant ISO standards have become obsolete.

 

Washing Machines

9. The Council supports the proposal of widening the scope of MEELS of washing machines so that models of higher washing capacity will be covered.