The updated 2026 U4E/UNEP Model Regulation Guidelines (MRG) for Air Conditioners and Air-to-Air Heat Pumps provide practical guidance for governments and regional organizations to design and implement energy efficiency regulations — including Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), energy labels, and refrigerant-related requirements — for one of the fastest-growing electricity-consuming product groups in developing and emerging economies.
This edition expands the scope of the 2019 version to include multi-split systems (such as VRF) and ducted split systems up to 70 kW, and adopts seasonal metrics — CSPF, APF, and HSPF — that better reflect annual operation and part-load behaviour. The Guidelines also incorporate a climate-sensitive approach, using climate groups and outdoor temperature bin hours to help countries adapt regulatory design to local climatic realities. The recommendations seek to balance ambitious efficiency improvements with product availability and affordability.
A Supporting Document accompanies the Guidelines, providing additional technical background and justification for the main recommendations, including further detail on the scope, the selection of performance metrics, and the proposed efficiency levels. Countries and regions can also assess the potential savings from these policy recommendations through the U4E Country Savings Assessments (CSAs), available for 156 countries on the U4E website.
