Mexico - New NOM Standards and Updates

By Daniela Tejeda, regulatory program expert

In 2020, the CONAMER National Commission for Regulatory Improvement, in conjunction with General Directorate of standards, published the following standards updates:

NOM-031-ENER-2019 — Energy efficiency for luminaires with LEDs for lighting of roads and exterior public areas — project standard update.

Scope: Luminaires with light-emitting diodes (LED) intended for lighting of roads and public outdoor areas, which use the electrical energy of the service for their public supply, as well as other sources of energy, such as cells, batteries, accumulators and self-generation, in alternating current and/or direct current, with a nominal voltage up to 480V in alternating current and up to 100 V direct current.

Exclusions:

• Decorative or ornamental lighting of public outdoor areas.
• Signaling
• With emission of color changing light or monochromatic light (green, red, yellow, blue, etc.).
• To be installed on the floor, under water, in classified or dangerous areas.

NOM-012-ENER-2019 — Energy efficiency of condensing and evaporating units for refrigeration; limits, test methods and labeling. To be enforced starting from April 21, 2021.

Scope: Condensing and evaporating units.

• Condensing units for refrigeration that are manufactured for installation outdoors or in interiors with cooling power greater than or equal to 746 W (2,547 BTU/h) and less than 26,000 W (88 716 BTU/h) in medium temperature, and less than 9,500 W (32 415 BTU/h) in low temperature.
• Low profile evaporator units for refrigeration that are designed to operate with a refrigerant and fed by direct expansion in humid and/or dry conditions with nominal cooling capacities, greater than or equal to 300 W (1023 BTU/h) and less than 40,000 W (136,482 BTU/h) in medium temperature, and less than 13,000 W (44,397 BTU/h) in low temperature.

Exclusions:

• Air conditioning units for use in comfort, with air temperatures greater than 15.0° Celsius, which must be evaluated according to the applicable energy efficiency standards for air conditioning.
• Air diffusers or evaporators for cooling installed in ducts or connected to ducts (air handlers).
• Tandem type refrigeration systems (rack type) in parallel with more than one compressor.
• Condensing units with a frequency variator, that due to their characteristics and technical specifications, are called the "INVERTER" type. This exception must be authorized by the agency that issues this standard.
• Equipment whose design is specific for operation with natural refrigerants, ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

NOM-033-ENER-2019 — Energy efficiency of alternating current motors cooled with air, in nominal power greater or equal to 1W and less than 180W — new standard project.

Scope: Minimum energy efficiency values, test method, marking and procedure for assessing conformity of air-cooled alternating current (AC) electric motors with nominal electrical voltage up to 240V, with nominal power greater than or equal to 1W and less than 180W; 2, 4 and 6 pole, squirrel cage induction, as well as those electronically switched.

• Standard update: NMX-J-524-2-5-ANCE-2019 — Portable Motor-Operated Power Tools Safety-Part 2-5: Particular Requirements for Circular Saws — July 4, 2021

This Mexican standard establishes the characteristics of the types of circular saws. When referring to circular saws they are only stated as saws and do not apply to saws that use abrasive wheels.

NMX-J-524-2-5-ANCE-2019 has partial correlation with IEC 60745-2-5 Hand-held motor-operated electric tools-Safety-Part 2-5: Particular requirements for circular saws, ed.5.0 (2010-07).