Improving Efficiency of Air Conditioners in ASEAN

24 October 2021 -

The increasing amount of air conditioners (ACs) usage, particularly in emerging economies with hot climates, driven by the growing income and technological advancement, accumulates to the energy demand rise.  The room air conditioning market in ASEAN member states is expected to grow by over 10 percent annually over five years, with sales of over 10 million units in 2018. Since the energy consumption will increase substantially along with the growing number of ACs -improving ACs Efficiency will be critical to reducing energy demand. Moreover, it could also address life cycle costs, peak load, and emissions impact.

Harmonising the metric standard in the ASEAN region can ensure performance measurement and increase energy efficiency while aligning with the international AC-efficiency efforts. Furthermore, developing a regional policy roadmap to harmonise national and regional energy-efficiency standards & labelling that align with international standards (U4E Model Regulation Guidelines) is essential to guide ASEAN member states in capturing cost and energy savings from more efficient ACs minimising environmental impacts and encouraging innovation.

Through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the Government of Japan has been supporting this initiative through The Promotion of Higher Efficient Air Conditioners in ASEAN through Harmonisation of Standards and Strengthening of Market Verification and Enforcement Capabilities (Phase I) project.

This article is also published on the ASEAN Centre for Energy’s website: https://aseanenergy.org/improving-efficiency-of-air-conditioners-in-asean/