Check Cooling Efficiency and Annual Energy Cost Before Buying an Air Conditioner

What does the electric air conditioner product search show?

The list columns are application number, company name, main indoor unit model, outdoor unit model, rated cooling capacity (W), monthly power consumption (1:1 basis), monthly power consumption (1:2 basis), efficiency grade, previous efficiency grade, completion date, and report confirmation. You can search by model name, company name, or application number and filter by grade 1 to 5. On the date checked (October 6, 2026), the list had 5,699 entries in total.

Some of the rows at the top had a value in the 1:1 basis column and 0 in the 1:2 basis column. The page does not explain exactly what the two columns mean. The scope notice does say, though, that there is a separate home multi type with two or three indoor units tied to one outdoor unit, and that this type sets its grade standard by the indoor unit with the largest rated cooling capacity.

How is annual energy cost worked out?

The Korea Energy Agency's system overview explains that labels carried the grade and monthly power consumption, but consumers found them hard to understand, so annual energy cost was added. Electric air conditioners have been subject to the display requirement since July 1, 2010. The calculation works like this.

The same conversion factor is used for every product, so the value suits comparing candidates against each other. The agency's product search notice tells you to check annual energy cost and similar items on the lookup screen, but I could not find that column in the electric air conditioner list table.

What do you compare for cooling efficiency?

In the electric air conditioner list, you compare by efficiency grade and monthly power consumption. For portable air conditioners, the measurement method is listed as the cooling seasonal energy efficiency ratio (CSPF), and the portable list has columns for rated cooling capacity (W), monthly power consumption for the cooling season, and efficiency grade. On the date checked, the portable list had 622 entries in total.

Which air conditioners fall under the electric air conditioner category?

The scope notice limits it to air conditioners with a total rated motor power consumption of 7.5kW or less and a rated cooling capacity under 23kW, and excludes water-cooled, portable, and duct-connected structures. Heat pumps that both cool and heat are classed as electric heating and cooling units, and portable units as portable air conditioners, so the categories are separate. The category list also has home multi and multi electric air conditioner entries and electric heating and cooling multi entries marked "'26.11.1~", but the page does not explain what that mark means.

What should you check, in what order, before buying?

• First, work out whether the product you want is an electric air conditioner, an electric heating and cooling unit, or a portable one.
• Within the same category, pick candidates with similar rated cooling capacity.
• Compare the candidates' monthly power consumption side by side in the product search list.
• Check the annual energy cost and the manufacturing date on the product label. The agency's notice says the efficiency grade can differ depending on the manufacturing date, and the label may show a lower value than the first reported result.

Electric heating and cooling units and portable units are separate categories, so settling the category in the first step tells you which list to search.