{"id":"F2012L02135","name":"Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Power Transformers) Determination 2012","slug":"greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":90115,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2012L02135-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Power Transformers) Determination 2012","content":"![](image.001.png)\n\nGreenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Power Transformers) Determination 20121\n\nGreenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012\n\nI, MARK DREYFUS, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, make this Determination under section 23 of the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012.\n\nDated 25 October 2012\n\nMARK DREYFUS\n\nParliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency\n\n  \nCOPYRIGHT\n\n© 2012 Commonwealth of Australia\n\nThis Determination includes material from Australian Standards and/or Australian/New Zealand Standards, which are copyright Standards Australia Ltd. Apart from reproduction for personal and non-commercial use, and uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, Standards Australia Ltd material may not be reproduced without permission or licence.\n\nWith the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, Commonwealth copyright material is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia Licence. To view a copy of this license, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/).\n\nYou are free to copy, communicate and adapt the Commonwealth copyright material, so long as you attribute the Commonwealth of Australia.\n\nComplete Australian/New Zealand Standards are available for purchase from Standards Australia Ltd. Requests and inquiries concerning other reproduction and rights pertaining to standards should be directed to SAI Global Limited.\n\n  \n\n1 Name of Determination\n\nThis Determination is the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Power Transformers) Determination 2012.\n\n2 Commencement\n\nThis Determination comes into force on the day after it is registered.\n\n3 Definitions\n\nIn this Determination:\n\n> Act means the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012.\n\nAS 2374.1-1997 means Australian Standard AS 2374.1-1997 Power transformers. Part 1: General, as it existed on 5 September 1997.\n\nNote: AS 2374.1-1997 is available from Standards Australia Limited as a superseded standard.\n\nAS 2374.1.2-2003 means Australian Standard AS 2374.1.2-2003 Power transformers. Part 1.2: Minimum energy performance standard (MEPS) requirements for distribution transformers, as it existed on the date this Determination came into force.\n\nNote 1: AS 2374.1.2-2003 is available from Standards Australia Limited.\n\nNote 2: AS 2374.1.2-2003 includes all amendments up to and including AS 2374.1.2-2003 /Amdt:1 made on 19 August 2005.\n\nAS 2735-1984 means Australian Standard AS 2735-1984 Dry\\-type power transformers, as it existed on 9 November 1984.\n\nNote: AS 2735-1984 is available from Standards Australia Limited as a superseded standard.\n\nAustralian Standard means a standard that is published by Standards Australia Limited denoted by the letters \"AS\" and identifying numbers and/or letters.\n\nAustralian/New Zealand Standard means a standard that is jointly published by Standards Australia Limited and Standards New Zealand, is applicable in both countries and denoted by the letters \"AS/NZS\" and identifying numbers and/or letters.\n\nCIE Standard means a standard that is published by, or on behalf of, the International Commission on Illumination.\n\nIEC Standard means a standard with letters “IEC” and a number that is published by, or on behalf of, the International Electrotechnical Commission.\n\npower transformer means a static piece of apparatus with two or more windings which, by electromagnetic induction, transforms a system of alternating voltage and current into another system of voltage and current usually of different values and at the same frequency for the purpose of transmitting electrical power.\n\n> Note: This is the same meaning as in subclause 3.1.1 of AS 2374.1-1997.\n\nstandard means an Australian Standard, an Australian/New Zealand Standard, a CIE Standard, an IEC Standard or any other equivalent document.\n\n> Note: Several other words and expressions used in this Determination have the meaning given by section 5 of the Act. For example:\n\n> category A product\n\n> covered by\n\n> family of models\n\n> GEMS\n\n> GEMS labelling requirements\n\n> GEMS level requirements\n\n> model\n\n> product class\n\n4 Interpretation\n\nApplicable definitions of terms or phrases\n\n(1) If a term or phrase is not defined under the Act, the Regulations to the Act or in this Determination, but the term is defined in a standard mentioned in section 3 of this Determination, the term or phrase is to be read for the purposes of this Determination as having the meaning of the term under the relevant standard.\n\n> Note: Notwithstanding this, for convenience to users, the key terms for ascertaining if a product is covered by this Determination are defined in this Determination.\n\nApplicable version of documents incorporated into Standards\n\n(2) For the purposes of this Determination the applicable version of any document, including a standard, that:\n\n(a) is referred to in a standard under the heading ‘Referenced Documents’, or under an equivalent heading in a standard; and\n\n(b) must be applied to give effect to this Determination or a standard referred to in this Determination,\n\nis the following version of the document:\n\n(c) if the document is the subject of a definition in section 3 of this Determination which specifies a date of effect—the version of the document that existed at that date; and\n\n(d) otherwise—the version of the document that existed at the date this Determination came into force.\n\n> Note: For example, clause 4.2 of AS 2374.1.2\\-2003 states that measurements shall be carried out according to the tests of AS 2374.1-1997. The applicable version of AS 2374.1-1997 is the version that existed on 5 September 1997.\n\n5 Specified product classes covered by this Determination\n\n(1) This Determination covers power transformers in the product classes set out in subsection (2) with power ratings from 10 kVA to 2500 kVA and a system highest voltage up to 24 kV.\n\nNote: This subsection reflects the scope specified in clause 1.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003.\n\n> Note 2: This subsection specifies products that are covered by the Determination. See subsection (3) for products that are not covered.\n\n(2) The product classes are as follows:\n\n| Product class | Products covered by class                                                             |\n| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| 1             | Single-phase or single wire earth return oil-immersed type transformer.               |\n| 2             | Three-phase, oil-immersed type transformer.                                           |\n| 3             | Single phase or single wire earth return, dry-type transformer where the Um is 12 kV. |\n| 4             | Single phase or single wire earth return, dry-type transformer where the Um is 24 kV. |\n| 5             | Three phase, dry-type transformer where the Um is 12 kV.                              |\n| 6             | Three phase, dry-type transformer where the Um is 24 kV.                              |\n\n(3) For subsection 23 (2) of the Act, this Determination does not cover:\n\n(a) transformers other than those designed for 11 or 22 kV networks; or\n\n(b) instrument transformers; or\n\n(c) auto transformers, that is transformers in which at least two windings have a common part; or\n\n(d) traction transformers mounted on rolling stock; or\n\n(e) starting transformers; or\n\n(f) testing transformers; or\n\n(g) welding transformers; or\n\n(h) three phase transformers with three or more windings per phase; or\n\n(i) arc-furnace transformers; or\n\n(j) earthing transformers; or\n\n(k) rectifier or converter transformers; or\n\n(l) uninterruptible power supply (ups) transformers; or\n\n(m) transformers with an impedance less than 3 percent or more than 8 percent; or\n\n(n) voltage regulating transformers; or\n\n(o) transformers designed for frequencies other than 50 hertz; or\n\n(p) gas-filled dry-type transformers; or\n\n(q) flameproof transformers.\n\n> Note: This subsection reflects the exclusions specified in clause 1.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003.\n\n(4) In this section:\n\ndry-type transformer means transformer of which the magnetic circuit and windings are not immersed in an insulating liquid.\n\n> Note: This is the same meaning as in subclause 3.1.5 of AS 2374.1-1997.\n\noil-immersed type transformer means a transformer of which the magnetic circuit and windings are immersed in oil.\n\nNote: This is the same meaning as in subclause 3.1.4 of AS 2374.1-1997.\n\nUm means the highest r.m.s. voltage of the system to which the power transformer is designed to be connected.\n\n6 GEMS level requirements\n\nEnergy use and greenhouse gas production\n\n(1) For paragraphs 24 (1) (a) and 25 (a) of the Act, the specified energy use requirements are the requirements mentioned in:\n\n(a) for products in product classes 1 and 2, Table 1 at clause 2.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003; and\n\n(b) for products in product classes 3 to 6, Table 2 at clause 2.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003.\n\nConducting tests\n\n(2) For paragraphs 24 (1) (a) and 25 (b) of the Act, the specified requirements for conducting tests for products covered by this Determination are the requirements mentioned in section 4 of AS 2374.1.2-2003 and section 5 of AS 2735-1984.\n\n7 GEMS labelling requirements\n\nLabelling information and communication requirements\n\n(1) For paragraphs 24 (1) (b), 26 (1) (a) and 26 (1) (b) of the Act, the specified labelling and communication requirements for products covered by this Determination are the requirements mentioned in clause 1.6 of AS 2374.1.2-2003 in relation to compliance marking.\n\n8 Other GEMS requirements\n\nHigh efficiency level\n\n(1) For subsection 24 (2) and paragraph 27 (1) (a) of the Act, the specified requirements for products covered by this Determination to meet the high efficiency level are the requirements mentioned in:\n\n(a) for products in product classes 1 and 2, Table 3 at clause 3.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003; and\n\n(b) for products in product classes 3 to 6, Table 4 at clause 3.1 of AS 2374.1.2-2003.\n\nNote: This subsection specifies the requirements a product must meet in order to be classified as a 'high power efficiency transformer'.\n\nConducting tests\n\n(2) For subsection 24 (2) and paragraph 27 (1) (e) of the Act, the specified requirements for conducting tests for products covered by this Determination in relation to paragraph 27 (1) (b) are the requirements mentioned in section 4 of AS 2374.1.2-2003.\n\n9 Families of models\n\n(1) For section 28 of the Act, the specified circumstances in which 2 or more models in a single product class covered by this Determination are in the same family of models, are the circumstances mentioned in subclause 1.5.2 of AS 2374.1.2\\-2003.\n\n10 Product Categories\n\nFor section 29 of the Act, the products covered by this Determination are category B products.\n\n> Note\n\n> Note: 1. All legislative instruments and compilations are registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments kept under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. See http://www.frli.gov.au.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Determination adopts the scope specified in AS 2374.1.2-2003 (power ratings 10–2500 kVA, Um up to 24 kV) and lists detailed exclusions. The instrument mirrors the referenced standard's coverage and does not, on its face, expand or narrow that scope beyond adopting the standard's definitions and exclusions (see section 5 and notes)."},"complexity_factors":["Incorporation by reference of multiple dated technical standards (AS 2374.1.2-2003; AS 2374.1-1997; AS 2735-1984) requiring users to consult external documents (see sections 3 and 4).","Technical subject matter: transformer classes, kVA ratings and voltage limits require electrical expertise to apply (see section 5).","Detailed exclusions list narrows coverage and requires careful product classification to determine applicability (see section 5(3)).","Multiple compliance streams: energy efficiency levels, testing procedures and labelling requirements are specified separately (see sections 6–8).","Rules on families of models and 'high efficiency' classification introduce grouping and benchmark tests that affect testing scope and costs (see sections 8 and 9).","Versioning rule for referenced documents creates a fixed-date applicability that can affect future interpretation and compliance (see section 4(2))."],"plain_english_summary":"This Determination requires certain power transformers (10–2500 kVA, up to 24 kV) to meet specified energy‑efficiency, testing and labelling rules by incorporating AS 2374.1.2‑2003 and AS 2735‑1984. It affects manufacturers, importers and suppliers of the listed transformer classes, who pay for testing, compliance marking and any efficiency upgrades; the regulator enforces GEMS levels and high‑efficiency classification. It matters because it sets mandatory technical and information standards that influence product design, procurement and market entry."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Determination appears tightly scoped to its original purpose. It covers distribution transformers for standard 11 kV and 22 kV electricity networks with clear exclusions for specialised industrial and non-standard transformers. The scope aligns with the referenced Australian Standard AS 2374.1.2-2003 and does not appear to have expanded beyond the original intent of regulating energy efficiency in mainstream power distribution equipment."},"complexity_factors":["Heavy reliance on incorporated external standards (AS 2374.1.2-2003, AS 2735-1984, AS 2374.1-1997) rather than spelling out technical requirements in the Determination itself","Version-locking mechanism for standards (section 4(2)) requiring careful tracking of which edition of referenced documents applies","17 specific exclusions in subsection 5(3) creating a complex negative definition of scope","Six distinct product classes with different efficiency tables applying to different combinations (oil vs dry, single vs three-phase, 12 kV vs 24 kV)","Dual-tier system (minimum standards vs voluntary high efficiency standards) with separate testing requirements","Cross-referencing to definitions in the parent Act (Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012) for key terms like 'family of models' and 'GEMS'"],"plain_english_summary":"This Determination sets minimum energy-efficiency standards for power transformers (10–2500 kVA, up to 24 kV) sold or used in Australia, affecting manufacturers, importers, buyers and electricity networks. It requires MEPS, testing to Australian Standards, and compliance labelling, with a voluntary higher-efficiency tier for premium models.\n\nSpecialised transformer types (e.g., auto-transformers, welding, rail, UP S, gas-filled or flameproof) are excluded. The rule cuts ongoing energy waste, lowers electricity costs and reduces carbon emissions over transformers’ long service lives."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012","history":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012/history","analysis":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/greenhouse-and-energy-minimum-standards-power-transformers-determination-2012/documents"}}