SINGAPORE: Emission limits for air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment in Singapore will be extended to large commercial refrigeration systems and vehicle air-conditioning over the next two years.
In a statement on Thursday (May 28), the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the ban on new refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment for these systems with high greenhouse gas emissions will help the Republic reach its climate goals on such emissions by 2030.
Refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment traditionally cool the air using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which can be hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming.
From July 2027, new centralised commercial fridges, typically used in supermarkets, must use more environmentally friendly refrigerants capped at a global warming potential (GWP) of 150, aligning with standards in Europe and Japan.
This means that over a century, these systems can contribute to global warming at a rate of only up to 150 times higher than carbon dioxide.
From July 2028, the same GWP limits will apply to air-conditioning in new passenger cars and light goods vehicles.
Said NEA: “This later start date gives vehicle suppliers more time to adjust, as some models using lower-GWP refrigerants are not yet widely available.
“The GWP limits are aligned with standards already adopted in markets such as the EU and Japan, where low-GWP alternatives are available.”
The new measures follow the agency’s introduction of GWP limits in 2022 for household air-conditioners, refrigerators and water-cooled chillers used for large building cooling systems.
The agency said the limits apply only to new equipment, to minimise disruption to businesses, which will be allowed to continue using existing systems until they reach the end of their service life.
Additionally, from July 2027, more companies that dismantle refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment will also be required to register with NEA and follow formalised practices for disposal.
These are firms that deal with centralised commercial refrigeration systems typically used in supermarkets, centralised industrial refrigeration systems for cold rooms, air-conditioning for passenger cars and light goods vehicles, as well as refrigerated trucks.
NEA said the latest measures were developed in consultation with suppliers, users and recycling companies, noting that some of these build on existing industry practices.
Members of the public were allowed to give their views between Sept 8, 2025, and Sept 19, 2025.
Said NEA: “The transition away from HFCs is part of a global effort to address climate change, and NEA will continue to review its measures to support this transition, taking into account industry readiness and availability of low-GWP alternatives.”
A UN Environment Programme report released in November 2025 showed that emissions from the rapidly growing demand for cooling could more than triple by 2050, resulting in more extreme heat events.
Singapore was among the world’s cities that pledged on the sidelines of the COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil in November 2025 to do more to curb unsustainable cooling practices that are fuelling rising temperatures across the globe. - The Straits Times/ANN
