Refrigerated cabinets

Overview

Commercial refrigeration covered by Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 include refrigerated cabinets of various types, such as used in the retail and hospitality sectors. These include refrigerated display cabinets, refrigerated storage cabinets, ice cream freezer cabinets, and ice cream and gelato scooping cabinets.

What products are covered?

The Determination covers products that are in the product classes outlined in Schedule 1 of the Determination.

In general, the Determination covers five product types.

• Refrigerated display cabinets — are designed for storage and display of, and access by consumers to, chilled or frozen food contained in the cabinet in a retail environment. Refrigerated display cabinets may be open or have transparent doors, drawers or lids.
• Refrigerated drinks cabinets — are refrigerated display cabinets that are designed for non-perishable drinks only. To be covered by the Determination, they must have their condensing unit located in or attached to the cabinet.
• Ice cream freezer cabinets — are specifically designed for storage and display of, and access by consumers to, pre-packaged frozen ice cream. They allow access by opening a solid or transparent lid. They have a net volume of less than or equal to 500 litres, a ratio of net volume to display area of 0.35 or more, and static air cooling with a skin evaporator.
• Scooping cabinets — are specifically designed for the storage, display and scooping of containerised frozen gelato or ice cream. Their condensing unit is located in or attached to the cabinet.
• Refrigerated storage cabinets — are refrigerated cabinets designed to store (not display) chilled or frozen food items, and which do not fall into the above categories. They have their condensing unit located in or attached to the cabinet.

The Determination only covers products that:

• consist of an insulated cabinet with an opening (whether or not the opening has a lid or a door)
• are capable of attaining and maintaining a specified temperature within the insulated cabinet within a range that overlaps the range -18 degrees Celsius and +10 degrees Celsius, and
• are designed primarily for storage, display, or both storage and display, of chilled or frozen foodstuffs.

For more information, see sections 6, 8 and 19 and Schedule 1 of the Determination.

What products are not covered?

The following products are not covered by this Determination.

• Refrigerated vending machines — self-contained refrigerated cabinets that are designed to accept consumer payments or tokens to dispense pre-packed beverages or foodstuffs, and that store products at between 0 degrees Celsius and +5 degrees Celsius.
• Icemakers — factory‑made commercial assemblies that have both a condensing unit and ice making section that operate an integrated unit, as well means for making and harvesting ice, whether or not the assembly also includes means for storing ice or dispensing ice.
• Cabinets that are designed for both food processing and storage, whether or not the cabinet includes an integral refrigerated storage section.
• Refrigerated cabinets that have water cooled condensers (a condenser that uses water as the cooling medium to condense hot refrigeration gas to liquid).
• Built-in cabinets — refrigerated cabinets that are designed to be installed into a prepared recess in a wall or similar location and that require furniture finishing.
• Roll-in cabinets — refrigerated cabinets that are designed to be loaded with trolleys with shelves which are designed to be introduced into the cabinet as such.
• Pass through cabinets — refrigerated cabinets that are designed to be accessible from both sides.
• Appliances that are intended for short‑time or intermittent normal operation during the full day.
• Refrigerated display cabinets that are low sales volume, oversize or both, and have an indirect refrigeration system (an indirect refrigeration system is when a secondary refrigerant circulating system is installed between a central refrigerating system and the cabinet).
• Refrigerated storage cabinets that are not light duty, normal duty or heavy duty (see section 11 of the Determination for information on light duty, normal duty or heavy duty).

Refer to section 20 of the Determination for more details.

Technical requirements

For technical requirements regarding refrigerated cabinets, including testing requirements and Minimum Energy Performance Standards, review the relevant Determination and standards.

The following standards are referenced in this Determination and are available for purchase online. The versions of the standards that apply are the versions that existed on 5 August 2020, when the Determination was made.

Some of the standards have been modified to meet Australian requirements. Schedule 3 of the Determination sets out the modifications that must be applied when using the standards for the purposes of this Determination.

Labelling requirements

Products covered by this Determination are not required to display an Energy Rating Label.

However, you may use a star rating to describe the energy efficiency of a refrigerated cabinet when supplying it (or offering to supply it). If a star rating is used, it must be calculated in accordance with Schedule 6 of the Determination. This star rating will be calculated during the registration of your product and will be recorded in the Energy Rating Product Database.

If you would like to use a label to communicate the star rating of your product, please contact us.