Brazil. Daikin announced that starting in October 2020, it will offer the full line of residential products to the HVAC-R market with the new Brazilian Labeling Program (PBE) qualification label for air conditioners.
The new criteria issued by Inmetro last July, through Decree No. 234, highlight the energy-saving characteristics of equipment with variable speed compressors (inverters); in fact, the measurement of energy consumption is now done using the method of partial and seasonal load metrics, resulting in a seasonal cooling performance factor (CSPF), a more reliable and essential indicator for consumers to make better decisions between the products currently offered.
Mr. Tomoji Miki, President of Daikin Brazil, understands that the update of the qualification criteria announced by Inmetro will finally align Brazil with the global trend.
"This change will be welcomed by end users when selecting equipment from high-tech manufacturers, such as Daikin, as they will have more data to make their decisions. In the above ranking, according to the table of the existing website before this change, more than 90% of the investment team in the market was classified as Class "A". In reality, the energy efficiency of these products is totally different. The superiority of the inverter technology depends on the external temperature conditions and the operating time of the equipment, which have been considered in this update. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the trend of staying longer at home, investor profits increase even more," says Mr. Miki.
The update focuses on increasing energy efficiency levels, so the devices can get the ENCE (National Energy Conservation Label) and the Procel Energy Saving Seal. Among the changes, the new "A" Class is expected to show an efficiency of 5.5, up from the previously accepted level of 3.24 W/W.
Daikin products with inverter technology have different levels of efficiency, depending on the line, but all have a seasonal cooling performance factor (IDRS) greater than 6.0. The Split Hi Wall Advance lines (cooling and heat pump only) have an IDRS of 6.20; and the Split Hi Wall Exclusive line, an IDRS in the 6.70 range. As for the 32,000 BTU/h Split Hi Wall, the first to use R32 refrigerant in Brazil, it features an IDRS of 7.50. It will be a Class "A" product even with stricter criteria, which will happen from 2026.
Daikin is preparing actions to inform distributors and consumers about the products marketed that will meet the new criteria. In addition, from October 2020, all manufactured products will include labels with the new rating. "Because all products manufactured and offered by Daikin in Brazil are designed to offer high levels of performance and efficiency under real conditions of use, they are now ready for new labeling. There is nothing to change," reports Mr. Lourenço.
Evaluated criteria and impacts on the HVAC-R market
To make the evaluation viable with the new approach, Inmetro has implemented the following changes:
- Use of more than one test point, under different operating conditions;
- Evaluation of the number of operating hours and climatic conditions that best suit the actual conditions of use;
- Use of the IDRS (Cooling Seasonal Performance Factor) as a qualification criterion, instead of the CEE (Energy Efficiency Ratio) previously used, also known as EER or COP.
New ratings for Daikin products are available on the Inmetro website:
http://www.inmetro.gov.br/consumidor/pbe/condicionadores-de-ar-indices-novos-idrs.pdf
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