On November 30, 2025, a consultation seminar in Viet Nam gathered national and international stakeholders to discuss the revision of the country’s minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for room air conditioners.
The meeting was organized under the ACT MEPS project (Accelerating Air Conditioning Transformation through Enhanced Standards and Labelling in the ASEAN region), implemented by GIZ. The project aims to help Viet Nam improve MEPS and energy-labelling systems for air-conditioning equipment.
Viet Nam is the fastest-growing market for residential room air conditioners in the ASEAN region. Emissions from the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) sector have nearly doubled in the past decade, reaching more than 50 MtCO₂eq—almost 9% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2025. Most of these are indirect emissions from electricity generation.
Participants at the seminar included representatives from the Viet Nam Society of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (VISRAE), the Viet Nam Standards and Quality Institute (VSQI), and the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), among others.
The group agreed on the urgent need to revise Standard TCVN 7830:2021, which no longer reflects the current market. Most stakeholders expressed support for medium- and high-ambition scenarios for MEPS through 2030, highlighting the importance of a clear implementation roadmap that ensures fairness and supports national energy and climate targets.
