Refrigeration Display Case regulations under review to increase energy efficiency

Expert Group was commissioned by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority of NZ on behalf of the national Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee to undertake research and prepare a report to inform a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for potential Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) on Refrigerated Displacy Cabinets (RDCs). This assignment involved a detailed assessment of the markets in Australia and NZ (i.e. sales, efficiency and cost); RIS modelling (i.e. stock, efficiency levels, cost benefit by type for a range of scenarios), and a technical review of the standards and key issues. A summary of a statement prepared by ECCA and announced at the Air Conditioner and Refrigeration Advisory Committee (ACRAC) meeting in November 2015 is as follows:

• The consultation RIS is still in development. ECCA are going through the regulatory sign-off processes and revising content based on their advice. A draft is anticipated to be ready for public consultation in the first quarter of 2016.
• When reviewing efficiencies of Australian and NZ cabinets on offer versus European MEPS levels and their groupings of cabinets, there are some types of cabinet that may need to be improved considerably. To compensate for this ECCA are investigating (amongst alternative options) offsetting the implementation dates (e.g. 2 years behind Europe) and/or making the least efficient cabinets comply first (pending approval of these options).
• ECCA expect to do further analysis of the market, based on submissions from this consultation RIS, before submitting a final plan to Ministers.
• Check testing of RDCs and Refrigerated Storeage Cabinets (RSCs) based on the proposed European MEPS levels and regulations are planned.
• Europe has updated the ISO 23953 (display cabinet) standard, and developed several other draft standards for sub-sets of cabinet types that are currently all classified under AS 1731. These standards and their progress are to the right. Note in Europe – the European Commission can call up draft standards if the final standards have not been finished by the planned implementation date for their MEPS.

An update on the range of standards is as follows:

• The professional/storage cabinet Ecodesign Regulations [MEPS regulations equivalent] are published. The display cabinet MEPS are due to be completed by end of 2015. There has been a lot of debate about the regulations and some changes made recently.
• FprEN 16754 (Artisan Gelato and ice cream machinery - Performance characteristics and energy consumption) has just gone through a formal positive vote.
• FprEN 16764 (Soft ice cream machines - Performance and evaluation of energy consumption) also just been formally approved.
• Latest update of EN23953 (display cabinets) also just gone through formal approval.
• prEN 16825 (Refrigerated storage cabinets and counters for professional use — Classification, requirements and test conditions) is progressing to formal vote.
• prEN 16838 (Refrigerated display scooping cabinets for gelato - Classification, requirements and test conditions) is progressing to formal vote.
• prEN 16902 (Commercial beverage coolers - Classification, requirements and test conditions) waiting for result of formal vote.
• prEN 16901 (Ice cream freezers - classification, requirements and test conditions) awaiting further information on progress.
• There is just available a new approved vending machine standard (BS EN 50597 2015), note: beverage vending machines are not part of this RIS.