Read the energy label: compare air-con and fridge running costs

Two bedroom air-conditioners can sit side by side in a showroom at similar prices with different numbers of ticks. To compare what they will cost to run, use the kWh figure on Singapore’s energy label, not just the ticks, and adjust it to your own hours and electricity rate. NEA’s estimated annual cost assumes eight hours of use a day (plus 16 on standby) for single-phase air-conditioners and 24 hours for refrigerators. From 1 July 2026, according to an NEA circular of 24 June 2026, anyone advertising regulated goods in a visual format, including online, must show a legible energy label next to the product’s image or description or, where that is not practical, state its tick rating and registration number.

The label has been mandatory for air-conditioners and refrigerators since 2008, according to NEA’s overview of the labelling scheme. Minimum energy performance standards, introduced for these two appliances in 2011, prohibit the sale of models below set efficiency levels. The scheme also covers appliances such as clothes dryers, televisions and lamps.

What does the energy label show?

• Ticks: from one to five for most labelled appliances, though NEA rates refrigerators from one to four and portable air-conditioners from one to two. More ticks mean a more efficient appliance, as NEA’s tick rating explainer sets out.
• Annual energy consumption: a kWh figure, which is the number to compare.
• Estimated annual energy cost: a dollar figure calculated from standard assumptions.

NEA’s energy label explainer lists those assumptions: eight hours a day of use plus 16 hours on standby for single-phase air-conditioners and 24 hours a day for refrigerators, both at 27 cents per kWh. Three-phase variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioners use different assumptions (15 cents per kWh, 12 hours of use and 12 on standby), so the air-conditioner steps below are for the single-phase label. Your own use may be longer or shorter than eight hours, and your electricity rate may differ from 27 cents, so treat the dollar figure as a common yardstick rather than a forecast of your bill.

Ticks and kWh answer different questions. Ticks describe efficiency; kWh describes consumption. A larger air-conditioner can carry more ticks and still use more electricity than a smaller one, so compare kWh between models that would do the same job in the same room.

How to rescale the label for your home

1. Copy the annual kWh figure from each label you are comparing.
2. For a single-phase air-conditioner, multiply it by your usual daily hours divided by eight. If you use it only on some days, multiply by that share of the year too. Treat the result as an approximation: NEA’s kWh figure also includes 16 hours a day on standby, and this scaling treats standby and running hours alike.
3. Multiply the result by the rate per kWh on your latest electricity bill or retailer plan.
4. Take the yearly difference between models, multiply it by the years you expect to keep the unit, and set it against the difference in purchase price.

For a refrigerator, skip step 2: the label already assumes it runs all day. NEA’s tips on buying energy-efficient appliances use the same idea: life-cycle cost is the purchase price plus the annual energy cost multiplied by the appliance’s lifespan.

A worked example with illustrative numbers

The figures below are invented for illustration. They do not come from any model’s label or a current tariff. We compare two single-split units, with 4 and 5 ticks, because, according to NEA’s overview, single-split units have had a 4-tick minimum since 1 April 2025.

• Air-con A has 4 ticks and a label figure of 800 kWh a year. Air-con B has 5 ticks and 600 kWh.
• The household cools the bedroom for about 10 hours a night, every night. The adjustment is 10 ÷ 8 = 1.25, giving 1,000 kWh for A and 750 kWh for B.
• At an illustrative 30 cents per kWh, the 250 kWh difference is worth about S$75 a year.
• If B costs S$450 more, the saving takes about six years to cover the gap.

Now change one assumption. If the room is cooled for four hours a night, the adjustment is 0.5, the difference falls to 100 kWh and the illustrative saving to S$30 a year: roughly 15 years to recover S$450. Heavy use strengthens the case for the efficient model; light use weakens it.

Vouchers can change the answer again. Climate Vouchers apply only to 5-tick air-conditioners, so a household spending S$400 of vouchers on B would narrow the illustrative gap to S$50. Those vouchers could otherwise go towards another appliance, so count them only once. Our Climate Vouchers guide covers eligibility.

What changed on 1 July 2026?

NEA’s circular of 24 June 2026 on imports for own use and advertising sets out two changes from 1 July 2026 that matter to online shoppers. The circular has no “last updated” line, and NEA’s energy label page, last updated 1 July 2026, gives the advertising requirement without a start date.

• Companies or individuals who advertise regulated goods in a visual format, including printed materials, websites and online marketplaces, must display a legible image of the energy label next to the product’s image or description. Where that is not practical, such as for space on a printed advertisement, the tick rating and the registration number (or supplier code) must be stated prominently instead. Where a web listing lacks the space, NEA allows the label to appear as a separate swipe-over or pop-up image, so check the whole listing. Marketplace operators must not permit non-compliant listings, and advertisers and operators can each be fined up to S$10,000.
• Regulated goods imported by end users for their own use must be registered with NEA, meet the minimum performance standards and carry energy labels where required. Non-compliance can lead to a fine of up to S$10,000.

During the second-reading debate on the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill on 8 April 2026, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, said the import rules cover new goods, not second-hand ones. In practice, if an 11.11 listing for an air-conditioner or refrigerator shows no label, ask the seller for it before paying. The circular sets duties for advertisers and marketplace operators but describes no remedy for buyers, so a missing label is a question for the seller, not proof of a breach (our inference). If you are ordering a new unit from overseas for your own use, check NEA’s registration requirement first: it says end users must register before importing. For the price itself, use our year-end sales price check.

After installation, check the estimate

Compare the next few electricity bills with the same months a year earlier, allowing for weather and changes in who is at home. The comparison will not be precise, but a large gap between your estimate and your bill is worth understanding. It may simply mean the unit runs longer than you assumed.

Common questions