Regulatory Impact Statement - MEPS & Alternative Strategies for Commercial Refrigeration

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Summary

This is the regulatory impact statement for the introduction of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for all remote and self-contained refrigerated display and storage cabinets and their internal components within the scope of the Australian Standard AS 1731, as typically manufactured, imported and sold in Australia and New Zealand.

The primary objective of the proposed regulation is to bring about a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the use of commercial refrigerators, to below the levels they are otherwise projected to reach under a business as usual scenario, through improving their energy efficiency.

The proposed measure involves introducing mandatory MEPS for commercial refrigerators in late 2004 that would stipulate in government legislation the minimum level of energy efficiency these products would need to meet in order to be sold on the Australian and New Zealand market. The proposal will either lead manufacturers of commercial refrigerators to upgrade those products that currently do not meet these standards or remove them from sale.

It is recommended that:

States and Territories implement mandatory minimum energy performance standards for commercial refrigeration cabinets as outlined in AS 1731.
The mode of implementation be through amendment of the existing regulations governing appliance energy labelling and MEPS in each State and Territory, to add commercial refrigeration to the schedule of products for which minimum energy performance standards are required.
The regulations refer to AS 1731.
The amendments take effect on 1 October 2004.
State and Territory governments should require registration of commercial refrigeration models, so invoking Part 14 of the Standard.
Governments re-examine, no later than 2008, the costs and benefits of revising the MEPS levels and other options for further increasing the energy efficiency of commercial refrigeration.

This page last modified 23 February 2006