Announcement date
11 December 2025
Link to announcement
Impact Analysis outcome – Improving water efficiency of commercial ice makers | Water Rating
Problem being addressed
The national stock of commercial ice makers consume a significant quantity of water – over 6.1 GL each year, equivalent to the water used by about 35,000 households.
Currently, commercial ice makers have no minimum water efficiency requirement and suppliers offer variable information to consumers on water usage. As information is unavailable or is presented in a way that makes it difficult to compare, consumers are rarely aware of product water use or operating costs, representing a market failure.
Proposal
To create mandatory labelling or information provision requirements for commercial ice makers sold in Australia. The IA recommends a staged approach to the potential introduction of these initiatives, with analysis of product registrations made to the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Regulator (including voluntary water use declarations) proposed to guide further decisions on the introduction of mandatory standards after March 2026.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Exemplary
Assessment comments
The process to develop the IA and analysis across the seven IA questions was of high standard. Of particular note is the inclusion of:
- high quality description of stakeholder consultation results and associated responses.
- robust estimates for likely impacts, including on regulatory burden.
- detailed exploration of implementation issues, including a risk management framework.