Anomalous Total Cooling Seasonal Performance Factors and implications for category 6 products

5 Dec 2023

The commission is responding to the identification of anomalous TCSPF values for products in category 6 (space heating and cooling) resulting from the application of the relevant Australian Standard.

The commission’s position is that these anomalous values should not be relied on for the purpose of determining a product’s eligibility for listing on the Essential Services Commission register or for the calculation of Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs). It is anticipated that the eligibility of only a small number of products will be affected.

Confirmation that application of the Australian Standard may produce anomalies

Standards Australia has advised the commission of an issue in the application of certain formulae in the relevant Australian Standard (AS/NZS 3823.4.1:2014, Performance of electrical appliances) that can lead to the generation of anomalous TCSPF^[1] values. They also provided a test to identify anomalous values.

Standards Australia has also advised that work is taking place to update AS/NZS 3823.4.1 to address the anomalous values issue, which is contingent on updates to the parent international standard ISO 16358-1:2013. There is currently no estimated date for the revised standards to be published.

In the interim, the commission will assess the eligibility for impacted products and publication of the TCSPF values for these products, as outlined below.

Which products will be affected?

All category 6 products on the register and the subject of an application to be on the register will be tested by commission staff using the test provided by Standards Australia.

What will happen if anomalies are identified?

• Where anomalous TCSPF values are identified for a product and the minimum TCSPF value forms part of the eligibility criteria, the commission will not rely on these values for the purpose of eligibility and instead consider eligibility by reference to whether the product achieves the minimum Annual Energy Efficiency Ratio (AEER) as specified in Table 6.3 of the Victorian Energy Upgrades Specifications 2018.
• Where anomalous TCSPF values are identified for a product that do not form part of the eligibility criteria, the anomaly will not impact on eligibility, but the commission will not publish that value on the Essential Services Commission Register of products. The applicant will be requested to set the specific individual anomalous TCSPF value(s) to zero. Greenhouse gas equivalent reduction calculations for these specific values only will then be derived my multiplying the product’s AEER values using the conversion factors listed in Table 6.15 and 6.16 of the Specifications.
• Commission staff will separately contact applicants of impacted products.

For products already on the register

• Where anomalies are identified for products on the commission register, the same approach will be taken to consider whether the product remains eligible to remain on the ESC Register and the publication of any anomalous TCSPF values.
• It is not anticipated the impact of this matter on the ESC Register will be significant. A preliminary review has indicated only a small number of affected products.  Applicants of impacted products will be contacted separately and provided more information.

Where to get help

If you have any questions with respect to the information set out in this update, please contact VEU support on (03) 9032 1310 or veu@esc.vic.gov.au.