Government changes rule for refrigerators and prices could rise by 23%

This Monday (January 1, 2024) the federal government begins implementing a program of energy efficiency targets for refrigerators and freezers for domestic use. The rule establishes new minimum rates of electricity consumption for appliances leaving factories, but gives a deadline of 2026 for the removal of appliances considered unsuitable from the market.

The forecast, according to sector entities and the government itself, is that the price of refrigerators will increase by 23% due to the new requirements – an increase of approximately R$350 over the average value of current models. The rules apply to both domestically manufactured and imported devices. Here's the complete resolution (PDF – 116 kB).

According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, this difference can be paid in up to one year with the savings that will be generated on the electricity bill, since refrigerated products are those that consume the most electricity.

The implementation of the new indexes must be done in two stages:

• from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025: maximum permitted energy consumption will be 85.5% in relation to standard consumption;
• from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027: maximum consumption of 90% in relation to the standard.

It is important to highlight that the consumers do not need to change their refrigerators. The deadlines only apply to the manufacture or import of new products. As for items already manufactured outside of standards, companies must sell them by the end of the 1st year of each stage. I.e:

• until December 31, 2024: deadline for marketing equipment that had already been manufactured and does not meet the rules of phase 1;
• until December 31, 2026: deadline for marketing equipment that had already been manufactured and does not meet the rules of phase 2.

The objective is to gradually remove less efficient equipment from the market that draws more energy. The majority of devices manufactured in the country already meet the rules of the 1st phase of the program. Of the total of 25 single-door refrigerator models currently sold in the country, 17 meet the standards. The others can be adapted to meet the new requirements.

According to the ministry, all refrigerators available in stores from 2028 onwards will be, on average, 17% more efficient than those currently available on the national market – an estimate based on 1-door refrigerators with an internal volume of 200 liters.

The government's estimate is that around 5.7 million tons of carbon dioxide will no longer be emitted by 2030. Furthermore, the resolution can generate electricity savings of 11.2 TWh (terawatthours) by 2030, which is equivalent approximately the annual residential consumption of the entire Northern region of the country (11.5 TWh) or the State of Minas Gerais (13.1 TWh) in 2022.