Source: Government of Singapore
28 May 2026 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) will introduce measures from 1 July 2027 to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment (RAC), targeting large commercial refrigeration systems, transport refrigeration, and air-conditioning for passenger cars and light goods vehicles (LGVs). These measures will help Singapore reach its climate goals of reducing emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
2. Many air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment use hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases as refrigerants. These greenhouse gases contribute significantly to global warming, which can be hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. To reduce GHG emissions in the RAC sector, NEA introduced Global Warming Potential (GWP[1]) limits in 2022 for household air-conditioners, refrigerators and water-cooled chillers used for large building cooling systems. The latest measures, which have been developed in consultation with suppliers, users and recycling companies, will now cover centralised commercial refrigeration systems and vehicle air-conditioning.
3. From July 2027, new refrigeration systems typically used in supermarkets must use more environmentally friendly refrigerants with GWP not exceeding 150. From July 2028, air-conditioning in new passenger cars and light goods vehicles must also comply with these requirements. 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.
4. To minimise business disruption, these limits apply only to new equipment. Businesses can continue using existing systems until they reach the end of their service life. Furthermore, some of these measures build on existing industry practices. For example, key supermarket operators in Singapore are already using refrigeration systems with lower-GWP refrigerants. Suppliers and manufacturers are supporting the transition to lower-GWP refrigerants and offering lower-GWP refrigeration systems that are energy efficient.
5. From July 2027, companies that dismantle the following equipment must register with NEA and follow proper disposal procedures for spent refrigerants. These requirements formalise practices that are already adopted by many companies, and there are service providers in Singapore to carry out this recovery work:
a) Centralised Commercial Refrigeration systems typically used in supermarkets
b) Centralised Industrial Refrigeration systems for cold rooms
c) Air-conditioning for Passenger Cars & Light Goods Vehicles
d) Refrigerated Trucks
6. 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.
[1] GWP is a measure of the warming effect of a gas relative to the warming effect of an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide, usually over a 100-year time horizon.
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