As households across the islands prepare for the warmer months, air conditioners are once again moving briskly off showroom floors and out of online shopping carts.
For many families, the choice comes down to price and the size of the room. Yet, the decisions made at the point of purchase, and at the point of installation, shape your electricity bill for the next decade, the safety of your home and Malta’s environmental footprint.
A little attention before you switch on a new unit goes a long way.
The label tells you more than you think
Every new air conditioner sold in Malta must carry an EU energy label, the familiar coloured scale running from green to red, and, for this type of product, the rating is from A+++ down to D. It is important to remember that the higher the scale is, the higher the savings and the lower your electricity bill is.
The label also shows the annual energy consumption in kilowatt-hours for both cooling and heating, along with the noise level in decibels. For a bedroom unit, the noise figure matters just as much as the efficiency. Two units with the same cooling power can differ by 10 decibels or more, which is the difference between a quiet hum and a sound that keeps you awake.
A practical tip: do not rely only on the letter grade. Compare the actual kilowatt-hour figures between two models you are considering. On a unit that runs every night through summer, a difference of a hundred kilowatt-hours a year quickly adds up on the bill.
“Lists of certified F-gas technicians and certified companies are published on the authority’s website”
What is inside the unit matters too
The refrigerant, the gas that does the actual work of moving heat, is tightly regulated across the EU. Under new EU rules in force since March 2024, refrigerants with a high environmental impact are being progressively phased down and the market is moving steadily towards gases with a much lower global warming potential. The type of refrigerant your unit uses is clearly marked on the unit itself.
This matters for two reasons.
First, units charged with refrigerants that are being phased down will become harder and more expensive to service in the years ahead as the supply of those gases tightens.
Second, installation, servicing and decommissioning of any air conditioner containing fluorinated gas must be carried out by a certified technician. This is not a formality. It is the main legal safeguard against leaks that damage both the environment and your own investment.
Before agreeing to an installation, ask the installer to show their F-gas card. A professional will not hesitate to produce it.
What MCCAA does behind the scenes
The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, through its Technical Regulations Division, inspects air conditioners on sale across Malta to verify that energy labels are accurate and that the units comply with EU safety and environmental rules.
Where products do not meet the requirements, the authority can require corrective action by the seller, up to and including removal from the market. The authority is also the national competent authority for fluorinated gases, issuing F-gas cards to qualified technicians and registering the companies authorised to handle these gases.
Lists of certified F-gas technicians and certified companies are published on the authority’s website and any consumer can consult them before engaging an installer.
This work rarely makes headlines but it is what allows consumers to trust that the label on a box in a Maltese showroom means exactly what it says.
Before you buy
Three questions will cover most of what you need. Does the label match the model and how do the kilowatt-hour figures compare to alternatives? What refrigerant does the unit use and is it one of the current generation? Is the person installing it certified to handle the gas inside?
Ask these questions once and you buy with confidence for the next 10 years.
For more information, or to check whether a technician or company is certified, visit mccaa.org.mt.
Rudie Vella is deputy chief executive officer, MCCAA
