Photo 1. Participants in the Focus Group Discussion on the Regional Policy Roadmap for household refrigerators, convened virtually.
Jakarta, 27 August 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), organised a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the Regional Policy Roadmap on Promoting Energy-Efficient Household Refrigerators through Harmonisation of Standards and Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). The virtual session convened representatives of the ASEAN Member States (AMS), members of the EE&C-SSN Technical Working Group on Appliances, national testing agencies, and manufacturers, in order to validate the preliminary questionnaire and modelling findings, identify the principal barriers to harmonisation, and deliberate on the pathways that are feasible for the region.
The discussion forms part of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030, under Programme Area No. 4 on Energy Efficiency and Conservation, within the Outcome-Based Strategy (OBS) 1 on increasing the adoption of energy-efficient appliances and equipment; household refrigerators follow air-conditioners and lighting as the third appliance category for which a regional MEPS roadmap is being developed.
Photo 2. Naing Naing Linn of ACE (right) delivered the opening remarks of the Focus Group Discussion.
The opening session was led by the MC, Nathania Adella Panjaitan of ACE. It featured remarks from Naing Naing Linn, Manager of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Department at ACE, who observed that the regional energy intensity target rests largely on the demand side and on the efficiency of the appliances households purchase every day. She noted that the household refrigerator is already the second-highest energy-consuming appliance in the ASEAN residential sector, yet it remains governed by a fragmented regulatory landscape of differing metrics, testing practices, and enforcement capacity.
Photo 2. Dr Supachai Sampao of DEDE delivered the opening remarks of the Focus Group Discussion.
Dr Suphacai Sampao, Chief of Energy Efficiency Standard and Conservation Group at the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Thailand, and Chair of the TWG on Appliances, added that the evidence compiled to date had shifted the question from whether harmonisation is warranted to how it should be designed.
Photo 3. Cahyo Adisaputro of ACE delivers the scene-setting presentation on the Regional Policy Roadmap.
Moving on, Cahyo Adisaputro, Senior Officer of the EE&C Department at ACE, delivered the scene-setting presentation. He reported that the Regional Market Assessment had recorded 10.9 million units sold across the region in 2023 and 41,353 GWh of refrigerator electricity consumption, projected to reach 60,253 GWh by 2028. Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam together account for 82.7 per cent of regional refrigerator electricity use, making them the highest-priority market for MEPS tightening. He further noted that an entrenched metric divide exists, with Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand rating refrigerators on annual energy consumption (AEC) while Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam apply the energy efficiency factor (EEF) – the core technical barrier to a single regional standard.
Photo 4. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zarina Muis of UTM presents the survey findings, modelling results and gap analysis.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zarina Muis of UTM presented the survey findings, modelling results, and gap analysis. All respondents and participating testing agencies regarded harmonisation as important and supported a common ASEAN testing method and harmonised annual energy calculation, though limited market surveillance and testing infrastructure remain the main constraints. UTM proposed an initial scope of single- and double-door refrigerators of 142 to 340 litres, anchored in IEC 62552, on a phased trajectory to 2050.
The session then divided into two breakout groups on a shared digital whiteboard. Group 1, comprising government agencies, was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr Zarina Muis, with Dr Muhammad Zulhilmi as rapporteur, and addressed national readiness, the feasible harmonisation pathway, product scope, IEC 62552 alignment, mutual recognition of test reports, market surveillance, compliance data, and capacity-building needs. Group 2, comprising testing agencies and manufacturers, was moderated by Dr Ho Wai Shin with Dr Nur Haninah as rapporteur, and examined priority areas for technical harmonisation, the extent of national modification to IEC 62552, laboratory capacity and testing lead times, and industry readiness and transition periods.
In the plenary that followed, each moderator presented their group's key findings and recommendations. Reporting for the government agencies, Assoc. Prof Dr Zarina Muis noted broad support for a phased approach, setting a common regional direction with flexible national implementation, though Member States sought a robust AEC-EEF conversion methodology before confirming a common metric.
Photo 5. Dr Ho Wai Shin presents the FGD results with the testing agencies and manufacturers.
Regarding reporting for the testing agencies and manufacturers, Dr Ho Wai Shin identified a common test method, a shared interpretation of IEC 62552 and a single ambient temperature of 320C as priorities. Both groups requested capacity building for laboratories and accreditation to underpin mutual recognition.
Photo 7. Nathania Adella Panjaitan, as MC, led the Closing Session.
Delivering the closing remarks, Dr Suphacai Sampao noted that the inputs gathered would be reflected as the draft roadmap is refined and brought back to Member States for review through the EE&C-SSN process. He encouraged Member States to route further comments through their Focal Points, so that the final roadmap carries the weight of considered national positions. The final report will incorporate inputs on the accuracy of the market data, the interpretation of national MEPS frameworks, and the plausibility of the modelled savings.
