Air conditioners Print E-mail

In a typical Queensland household, air-conditioning can use 27 per cent of total electricity use, making it one of the highest single energy users in the home. To help reduce Queensland’s carbon footprint, new or replacement air-conditioners installed in all Queensland’s buildings (including homes) have been required to meet a minimum energy efficiency standard of 2.9 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) for cooling since 1 September 2010.

The requirement applies to air-conditioners up to a cooling capacity of 65 kilowatts (kW) that are required to be tested under the relevant Australian Standard. This covers split systems, ducted and wall/window box units. It does not apply to portable and evaporative coolers.

The tested average EER of an air conditioner can be obtained from product labels, brochures, manuals and data sheets from the suppliers, or by contacting the manufacturer or their website.

The EER of 2.9 is only the minimum installation requirement. The higher the EER, the greater ability the system has to be more energy efficient and the more money you can save on running costs.

Since 1 April 2011, the national testing procedure has been based on the system’s Annual Energy Efficiency Ratio (AEER). However at this stage, there is no change to the minimum installation requirement of an air conditioner in Queensland buildings. This means that in Queensland, a new or replacement air conditioner can meet either:

  • minimum 2.9 EER; or
  • relevant AEER for the type and size of system.

The energy efficiency of air conditioners is regulated through the Queensland Development Code 4.1 - Sustainable buildings.

Further advice on the installation and maintenance of air conditioners, as well as building design, to optimise their energy efficiency is available in the Air conditioner guide.

Further information

For further information contact Building Codes Queensland.

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