For Industry

Commercial ice-makers

The information below relates to the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Commercial Ice-makers) Determination 2025 that commences on 3 March 2026.

You can register models to this determination now.

Overview

Commercial ice-makers offered for supply in Australia from 3 March 2026 must:

meet MEPS
be registered under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 (the Act)
display the GEMS registration number where a commercial ice-maker is advertised for supply, including in print, online, and in store (see Part 4 of the Determination).

At a glance

To understand legislative requirements, suppliers of commercial ice-makers should review the determination and its explanatory statement. These documents can be found on the Federal Registration of Legislation using the link in the table below.

Determination	Minimum Energy Performance Standards	Energy Rating Label
Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Commercial Ice-makers) Determination 2025	Yes	No Energy Rating Label is required for commercial ice-makers, but advertisements for commercial ice-makers must display the registration number, including advertisements in print, online and in store.

The determination:

sets minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for commercial ice-makers
specifies the required testing standards, labelling and other requirements the products and suppliers must meet
specifies labelling requirements.

Legislation

In Australia, commercial ice-makers are regulated under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012.

In New Zealand, the relevant legislation is the Energy Efficiency (Energy Using Products) Regulations 2002. New Zealand has the same technical requirements, but different registration requirements to Australia. Visit the Commercial ice makers page of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website for more information.

What products are covered?

Ice-makers covered by the determination include automatic ice-makers that have a factory-made assembly that form, or are intended to form, a condensing unit and an ice-making section that operate as an integrated unit. Ice-makers covered by the determination must have the means for making and harvesting ice and may or may not include the means for storing or dispensing ice.

Ice-makers covered by the determination must have:

a tested capacity of up to and including 1000 kg in 24 hours, when tested at a rating point of 32 degrees Celsius (ambient), 21 degrees Celsius (inlet potable water) with electricity supplied at 230V and 50 Hz
provision for both water supply and drainage connections.

There is no lower limit on ice-making capacity.

What products are not covered?

Products not covered under this determination include domestic ice-makers. Domestic ice-makers are integrated into a household refrigerating appliance, are designed to be manually filled and drained, and do not otherwise have water supply and drainage connections. Refer to sections 9 and 10 of the determination and section 1 of Schedule 1 for more details.

Technical requirements

The GEMS determination contains more information on technical requirements and the referenced standards. The version of the standards that apply are the versions, including amendments, that existed when the determination was made on 26 February 2025.

Standards

Standards Australia Limited
- AS/NZS 4865.1:2008 means Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4865.1:2008: Performance of commercial ice-makers and ice storage bins, Part 1: Test methods for ice-makers—Environmental performance

International Organization for Standardization
For product classes 1 – 8.
- ISO 6369:2023 means ISO 6369:2023(E): Ice-makers for commercial use — Classification, requirements and test conditions

American
If testing is conducted at 230V, 50Hz input power.
- ANSI/ASHRAE 29-2009 with AHRI 810-2023 or AHRI 810-2016
- ANSI/ASHRAE 29-2015 with AHRI 810-2023 or AHRI 810-2016.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) / American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- ANSI/ASHRAE 29-2009 means ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 29-2009: Method of Testing Automatic Ice-makers
- ANSI/ASHRAE 29-2015 means ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 29-2015: Method of Testing Automatic Ice-makers
Air-Conditioning, heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)
- AHRI 810-2023 means AHRI Standard 810-2023. Standard for Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-makers
- AHRI 810-2016 means AHRI Standard 810-2016. Standard for Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-makers

Minimum standards

The determination sets GEMS level requirements for commercial ice-makers under sections 12 and 13.

Testing your product

Products must be tested in accordance with section 14 of the determination to ensure they meet Australian requirements.

The determination provides six test standards that may be used to demonstrate compliance. See section 15 of the determination for details.

There are some modifications to test products with automatic dispensers. See section 16 of the determination for details.

Submitting a test report

When registering a model, you are prompted to nominate the test standards. This is because the Energy Rating Product Registration system will automatically be configured to your selection.

Note the GEMS Regulator commissions check testing for commercial ice-makers using AS/NZS 4865.1:2008.

Labelling requirements

While there is no requirement for commercial ice-makers to display an Energy Rating Label, models must display a GEMS registration number when the model is advertised for supply, including in print, in store and online.

A GEMS registration number has the form AIM0000, where AIM stands for Australia ice maker and 0000 is a number, such as 1023. The GEMS registration number is assigned when a registration is approved.

The registration number can be displayed:

in the form of the full wording. For example, GEMS Registration Number-AIM1234
where space is limited, the wording can be shortened. For example, GRN-AIM1234.

For more information on these requirements, see Part 4 of the determination.

Useful resources

Access to standards

Complete national and international standards can be purchased online within Australia.

Energy Rating Registration Database

Registered products can be found using the Energy Rating Registration Database.

Family of models
A commercial ice-maker may be registered as part of a family of models. A family consists of several individual models grouped together on the same registration. They must meet requirements set out in section 6 of the determination, including:
- have the same tested production capacity
- have the same tested energy consumption rate
- have the same product class
- rely on a single test report that was prepared prior to the application for registration for the model being made under section 41 of the Act.

Registering a product

It’s important to register your commercial ice-maker models correctly by making the right selections throughout the registration form.

More importantly, you have the option to make a voluntary declaration of potable water use and condenser water use (if the model is water-cooled). This information is made available on the Energy Rating Registration Database and will enable buyers to make comparisons between models.

See Register a product to learn more about the registration process and requirements.

Transitional arrangements
Generally, a product covered by a determination can only be supplied or offered for supply, or used for a commercial purpose, if the:
- model of the product is registered under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 (the Act) against a determination
- product complies with the determination
- supply, offer to supply or commercial use complies with the determination.
The above does not apply if ‘grandfathering provisions’ are satisfied.

Grandfathering provisions may apply for products that have been imported or manufactured in Australia prior to the determination commencement date, 3 March 2026. Grandfathering provisions are set out in sections 16 to 19 of the Act.

If grandfathering provisions aresatisfied, a product may continue to be supplied, offered for supply, or used for a commercial purpose without complying with or being registered against the determination on or after 3 March 2026. This determination has not specified a limited grandfathering period.

If unsure, suppliers or commercial users of commercial ice-makers should seek independent legal advice to determine whether their model satisfies grandfathering provisions.

Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS)

The WELS Regulator supports and encourages registrants to make voluntary water use declarations to the GEMS Regulator to enable consumers to make informed choices.

See Water Rating for more information on the WELS scheme.