Development of energy labels based on consumer perspective: Room air conditioners as a case study in Brunei Darussalam

For the past years, Brunei Darussalam has seen an increase in its electricity consumption with an average annual rate of increase of 3% per annum from the year 2011 to 2015. Like other developing countries with tropical climates, electricity consumption from air conditioning systems contributes a big part to this electricity consumption. The Energy Department of the Prime Minister's Office is considering the implementation of energy label for air-conditioning system; to provide guideline for consumers to compare efficiencies of their systems, encourage manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of their systems and ultimately, to reduce the overall energy consumption of the country. This paper proposes a suitable energy label for air conditioning system in this country based on an online survey. Data from the survey shall be analysed to come up with consumers' preferred energy label with suggestions used for its improvement. This label is also suitable for other electrical systems without major modification.