Government rebuts industry and says that refrigerators will not cost R$5,000 with new efficiency rule

The federal government stated this Wednesday (20) that the change in the energy efficiency rule will not cause refrigerators to cost R$5,000. The price estimate was released by the National Association of Manufacturers of Electronic Products (Eletros) after the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) announced the measure that will require, from 2024, an efficiency level of 85.5% for these household appliances.

The Department of Social Communication (Secom) stated, in a note, that “it is false that refrigerators would cost at least R$5,000”. The MME highlighted that “Eletros’ statement is untrue and irresponsible, with the sole aim of causing commotion”. “The aforementioned association appeals to sensationalism with the aim of reversing a measure that will actually benefit consumers, who pay dearly on their electricity bills due to inefficient products,” said the ministry.

The president of Eletros, José Jorge do Nascimento, said in an interview with Estadão that “only refrigerators worth more than R$4,000 will remain on the market from 2026 onwards and this will cause huge losses for the population of classes C, D and E”. The ministry rejected Nascimento’s statement.

“Firstly, the standard does not remove any equipment from circulation until 2026, enough time for the industry to adapt. Second, equipment that would be discontinued in 2026 is a small fraction of the market. Of the total of 25 models of single-door refrigerators, 17 meet the standards, therefore, only 8 could not be sold from 2026 onwards. Even so, these models can be adapted and comply with the new requirements established”, highlighted the ministry.

The government stated that the goal of the initiative is for consumers to have access to better domestic refrigerators that consume less electricity. “Those who have these devices in excellent working order do not need to buy a new one to comply with the published resolution”, says the Secom statement.

“The new resolution will guarantee that, from 2028 onwards, the products that will be available in stores are, on average, 17% more efficient than those available today on the national market (estimated values ​​based on 200-liter 1-door refrigerators). internal volume). The idea is to gradually remove less efficient equipment from the market, which burdens the consumer and the electricity sector”, reinforced the government.