Summary
Space cooling is among the fastest-growing electricity end-uses in the region's building sector. The 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook projects room air conditioner (RAC) electricity demand to grow by around 115%, from 134 TWh in 2025 to 288 TWh in 2040. Harmonising and strengthening minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for new RACs could deliver electricity savings of around 149 TWh making cooling efficiency a lever for energy security, affordability and emissions reduction at the same time. Cooling efficiency is also central to the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030 target of reducing regional energy intensity by 40% by 2030 based on 2005 levels.
Regional efficiency ambition has so far outpaced national implementation. The 2015 ASEAN Regional Policy Roadmap aligned testing and evaluation methods and set a minimum of 3.08 Wh/Wh CSPF for single-split RACs by 2020, a level nine AMS have since adopted or exceeded. The 2021 update set a further target equivalent to 6.09 Wh/Wh CSPF by 2025, but as of June 2026 only Singapore has reached that higher tier, while Malaysia has formally gazetted alignment with 6.09 Wh/Wh CSPF by 2030. For the remaining countries the level corresponds to the top tier of national energy labels rather than a market-entry floor. With public procurement, governments could use their own purchasing to build early demand for higher-performing products before wider MEPS increases take effect.
The Green Public Procurement Guidelines for Energy-Efficient Air Conditioners in ASEAN sets out the core GPP principles, criterion types, green technical criteria, evaluation approach and verification methods that AMS can adopt or adapt in line with their respective standards, markets and legal requirements.