On 8 April 2026, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament. The Bill contains changes to the Energy Conservation Act 2012 (“ECA“) to extend Minimum Energy Performance Standards (“MEPS“) and the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (“MELS“) to Regulated Goods imported by end‑users for their own use. We previously covered the introduction of the Bill in Parliament. To read more about this, please refer to our February 2026 NewsBytes article titled “Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill Introduced to Impose Energy Efficiency Requirements on Regulated Goods Imported by End-users“.
Following the passage of the Bill, the National Environment Agency (“NEA“) issued a circular dated 24 April 2026 (“Circular“) stating that, with effect from 1 July 2026, Regulated Goods imported for own use will be subject to similar MEPS/MELS compliance requirements as those intended for supply in Singapore. Accordingly, end-users/companies importing Regulated Goods for their own use must ensure that these goods: (i) are registered with NEA; (ii) meet MEPS in accordance with prescribed international tests and test conditions; and (iii) are labelled with an Energy Label (where required) under the MELS.
Regulated Goods Covered
The following Regulated Goods are covered by these requirements:
- air-conditioners (household air-conditioners, portable air-conditioners, three-phase variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioners);
- refrigerators (household refrigerators, commercial storage refrigerators);
- clothes dryers;
- televisions;
- household water heaters; and
- three-phase induction motors.
Registration Process and Requirements
End-users/companies intending to import Regulated Goods for their own use must register the goods on the Energy Labelling Scheme (ELS) Portal with effect from 1 July 2026. Further details on the registration process will be published on the NEA website in due course.
When registering Regulated Goods imported for own use, end-users/companies must provide a test report demonstrating compliance with MEPS. For this purpose, they may rely on test reports provided by suppliers or manufacturers when registering their Regulated Goods model with NEA.
Registration and renewal fees for Regulated Goods will be waived for end-users/companies importing such goods for their own use.
Requirements for Online Advertisements of Regulated Goods
The Circular also mandates that, with effect from 1 July 2026, online platforms that advertise for supply of any Regulated Goods must ensure that the advertised Regulated Goods are registered with NEA and comply with the prescribed labelling requirements. Online platform operators in Singapore, or with a business establishment in Singapore, will also be required to rectify or withdraw non-compliant advertisements. Non-compliance with these requirements constitutes an offence. NEA will provide further information on the advertisement requirements in due course.
Compliance with the requirements under the ECA is mandatory. End-users/companies who do not comply with MEPS and the MELS requirements will face penalties of up to S$10,000 in fines.
Click on the following links for more information (available on the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment website at www.mse.gov.sg):
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