Regulatory reference
EECA 2024:
the official documents, explained
The Act, the Regulations and the Suruhanjaya Tenaga guidelines — what each document is, what it actually requires, and where the official copies live.
Quick answers
- Does EECA apply to me?Threshold, buildings, territorial scope
- When do my deadlines start?The section 3(3) written notice
- What do I actually have to do?Seven duties, in sequence
- When is each thing due?Every deadline, and what it runs from
- I run an office buildingEnergy intensity label and star rating
- What happens if we do not comply?Penalties and director liability
What EECA is
EECA is the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2024 — Act 861 of the Laws of Malaysia. The Regulations made under it have been in operation since 1 January 2025.
EECA stands for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2024 — Act 861 of the Laws of Malaysia. If you have come here looking for the PDF, the legislation itself, the regulations made under it, or the Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST) guidelines that put it into practice, this page explains what each document requires and where the official copies live.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Regulations 2024 came into operation on 1 January 2025 (regulation 1(2)).
The framework
Three tiers. The Act creates the duties, the Regulations prescribe the detail, and the ST guidelines say how the Commission will apply both.
Malaysian energy efficiency law sits in three tiers, and most confusion comes from mixing them up — particularly from attributing a requirement to the wrong instrument.
- The ActAct 861
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2024. Creates the duties, the offences and the penalties. Applies to Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
- The RegulationsP.U.(A) 466/2024
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Regulations 2024, in operation since 1 January 2025. Prescribe the 21,600 GJ threshold, the appointment periods and the submission deadlines.
- The GuidelinesIssued under section 67
- How Suruhanjaya Tenaga says it will apply the Act in practice — ascertainment, EnMS content, report structure. Revised from time to time.
Who it applies to
The Act reaches three things — energy consumers above the threshold, Third Schedule buildings, and specified energy-using products — and only in Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
Section 3(1) applies the Act to three things: an energy consumer whose consumption over twelve consecutive months meets or exceeds the prescribed threshold; a building described in the Third Schedule; and any energy-using product specified in the guidelines.
- Threshold
- 21,600 gigajoules over twelve consecutive months
- Prescribed by
- Regulation 3, P.U.(A) 466/2024
- How it is measured
- Guideline on Ascertaining Energy Consumer — measuring points, conversion factors and exclusions
- Territorial application
- Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan (section 1(3)). Sabah and Sarawak fall outside it
- Also caught
- Buildings in the Third Schedule; energy-using products specified in the guidelines
How consumption is assessed
Consumption is assessed across the applicable energy and energy-resource categories in relation to an activity, business or trade carried out in one place — not electricity alone.
The current guideline should be used to determine the relevant measuring points, conversion factors and exclusions, including the treatment of energy or energy resources acquired for onward sale or distribution, and energy resources used as feedstock.
Is consumption 21,600 GJ or more over any twelve consecutive months?
Assessed across the applicable energy and energy-resource categories in relation to an activity, business or trade carried out in one place — not electricity alone.
Is the activity carried out in Peninsular Malaysia or the Federal Territory of Labuan?
Sabah and Sarawak fall outside the territorial application of the Act (section 1(3)).
Has the Commission ascertained you as an energy consumer?
Under section 3(2) the Commission determines, on the information available to it and the applicable guideline, whether the Act applies to that person.
Written notice issued under section 3(3)
The operative step. The duties in Part II attach, and every statutory clock begins to run.
Ascertainment and the clock
Crossing the threshold does not by itself create duties. The written notice under section 3(3) is the operative step, and every statutory clock runs from it.
Meeting or exceeding 21,600 GJ places a person within the consumption criterion in section 3(1)(a). Under section 3(2) the Commission then ascertains, using the information available to it and the applicable guideline, whether that person is an energy consumer to whom the Act applies. Having made that determination, section 3(3) requires the Commission to issue a written notice.
That notice matters because the statutory clocks run from it. A registered energy manager must be appointed within three months of the written notice (regulation 4(2)).
The first energy audit report must be submitted within one year of the written notice (regulation 10(1)(a)), and thereafter on the fifth year for every five years from the date of submission of the last energy audit report (regulation 10(1)(b)).
Regulation 10(2) allows an energy consumer to apply to be exempted from submitting subsequent audit reports, within the first three months on that fifth year — though applying is not being exempted.
Lead time
Three months is not long to identify, engage and register a suitable energy manager, and a year is not long to scope and complete a credible audit. Organisations approaching or exceeding the threshold are better served assessing their position and preparing before a notice arrives, rather than treating the notice as the point at which planning begins.
Check whether you meet the designated consumer thresholdFree · three minutes · no sign-up
Duties of an energy consumer
Appoint a registered energy manager, implement an energy management system, submit an annual EE&C report, and have an energy audit conducted by a separate registered energy auditor.
Section 5 — appoint a registered energy manager (REM)
Under regulation 4(2) the appointment must be made within three months of the ST written notice, ordinarily from among the energy consumer own employees. Regulation 6(1) permits an appropriately qualified external REM for a period not exceeding three years from the date of the notice. Regulation 6(4) then requires that, immediately after that appointment expires, a REM is appointed from among the employees in accordance with regulation 4 — so the external route is transitional, not renewable.
Section 5(2) — what the registered energy manager is accountable for
The Act sets the manager’s functions and duties directly, in seven paragraphs: to collect and analyse the data on energy and energy consumption; to ensure the energy consumer implements the energy management system; to monitor that implementation; to prepare the energy efficiency and conservation report for the energy consumer (section 5(2)(d)); to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in it; to advise on any other energy saving measures and monitor their implementation; and to carry out such other duties as the Commission determines.
These duties sit on the individual who holds the appointment, and they do not transfer to whoever supplies the data. A registered energy manager who contravenes them commits an offence under section 5(4) — see Enforcement. The Guidelines on Functions and Duties of Registered Energy Manager are issued under this subsection.
Regulation 5 — two competency bands
Where consumption is at least 21,600 GJ but not more than 50,000 GJ, a REM meeting regulation 14 is required. Where consumption exceeds 50,000 GJ, the REM must meet the higher requirements of regulation 14(2) or (3).
One REM can cover more than one consumer
An employee REM may carry out his functions for not exceeding seven (7) other energy consumers which are related corporations with the consumer who appointed him (regulation 4(4)). An external REM may carry out his functions for not exceeding seven (7) other energy consumers — with no related-corporation restriction (regulation 6(3)).
Vacancies are time-bound
If a REM vacates office, the energy consumer must serve notice on the Commission within fourteen days, and appoint a replacement from among his employees within three months of the vacancy (regulation 7).
Section 6 and regulation 8 — develop an energy management system
Section 6(1) requires the energy consumer to develop an energy management system within the prescribed period and to implement it. Regulation 8 is what prescribes that period: the system must be developed within one year from the date of the appointment of the registered energy manager under regulation 4(1) or 6(1).
Three things about that are easy to get wrong. The clock runs from the appointment, not from the written notice — it is the second of the two clocks in Deadlines at a glance, and it does not fall due with the audit report. The duty is the energy consumer’s, not the manager’s; the manager’s part is to ensure the consumer implements the system and to monitor that implementation, under section 5(2)(b) and (c). And regulation 8 prescribes a period for developing the system only — the Regulations set no deadline for implementing it.
Section 6(2) separately requires the system to be developed and implemented in accordance with the guidelines, which is what makes the Guideline on Energy Management System a requirement rather than advice. Both subsections carry a penalty, and both fall on the energy consumer — see Enforcement.
Section 7 — the energy efficiency and conservation report
Two duties, two people. Section 7(1) puts preparation on the registered energy manager. The report must describe the EnMS implemented, the total amount and purpose of energy consumption, proposed improvement measures, and which measures are already implemented versus outstanding. Section 7(2) then puts submission on the energy consumer, within the period prescribed by regulation 9: the first report within thirty days after the expiry of one year from the date of the REM appointment; each subsequent report annually, within thirty days after the expiry of one year from the anniversary date of that appointment.
The two duties are separate, they attach to different people, and each carries its own penalty — see Enforcement.
Sections 8 and 9 — the energy audit and audit report
The energy consumer must cause an energy audit to be conducted by an appointed registered energy auditor, and submit the energy audit report. The REM and the registered energy auditor are distinct statutory roles with separate registration requirements and functions: the REM manages and reports on the EnMS, while the registered energy auditor conducts the required energy audit and prepares the audit report.
The exemption route, and the test it has to pass
Section 9(3) allows an energy consumer, after submitting its first energy audit report, to apply to be exempted from submitting the subsequent ones — but only if it can show to the satisfaction of the Commission that after a considerable period of time it has implemented significant energy efficiency and conservation measures, and that doing so has resulted in improvement in energy efficiency in carrying out its activity, business or trade.
The application window is the first three months of that fifth year (regulation 10(2)). Applying is not being exempted. Under section 9(4) the Commission may approve the application and issue a written notice of exemption, and under section 9(5) the exemption takes effect only from the date specified in that notice.
Deadlines at a glance
Two clocks run in parallel. The EE&C report runs from the REM’s appointment; the energy audit report runs from the section 3(3) notice.
Clock 1from the section 3(3) written notice
- Day 0Written notice issued by the Commission
- 3 monthsRegistered energy manager appointed reg. 4(2)
- 1 yearFirst energy audit report submitted reg. 10(1)(a)
- 5th yearNext energy audit report, then on the fifth year for every five years reg. 10(1)(b)
Clock 2from the REM’s appointment
- Day 0Registered energy manager appointed
- 1 yearEnergy management system developed reg. 8
- 1 year + 30 daysFirst EE&C report submitted reg. 9(a)
- Each yearWithin 30 days after the expiry of one year from the anniversary date of the appointment reg. 9(b)
The two clocks have different anchors and do not fall due together.
| Requirement | Anchor | First deadline | Subsequent cycle or requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment of REM | Section 3(3) written notice | Within three months of the notice (reg. 4(2)) | On a vacancy, notify the Commission within 14 days (reg. 7(1)) and appoint a replacement from among employees within three months (reg. 7(2)); where an employee REM cannot be appointed, an external REM meeting reg. 14(2) or (3) may be appointed with the written approval of the Commission (reg. 7(3)) |
| Transitional external REM appointment | Section 3(3) written notice | May be appointed for a period not exceeding three years from the notice (reg. 6(1)) | Immediately upon expiry, an employee REM must be appointed in accordance with regulation 4 (reg. 6(4)) |
| Energy management system | The REM’s appointment | Developed within one year from the date of the appointment (reg. 8) | No further deadline is prescribed. Section 6(2) separately requires the system to be developed and implemented in accordance with the guidelines |
| EE&C report | The REM’s appointment | Within 30 days after the expiry of one year from the appointment date (reg. 9(a)) | Annually, within 30 days after the expiry of one year from the anniversary date of the REM’s appointment (reg. 9(b)) |
| Energy audit report | Section 3(3) written notice | Within one year of the notice (reg. 10(1)(a)) | On the fifth year for every five years from the date the last report was submitted (reg. 10(1)(b)). The energy consumer may apply to be exempted from submitting a subsequent report, within the first three months on that fifth year (reg. 10(2)) — an application does not itself grant the exemption |
| Energy intensity label | Section 3(4) written notice | Within thirty days after the expiry of the one-year period from the date of the notice (reg. 11(2)) | Apply each year within thirty days before the expiry date specified in the existing label (reg. 11(3)) |
| Two-star minimum rating | Year in which the first energy intensity label was issued | Not applicable during the initial period | Must be complied with annually commencing on the fifth year from the year of which the first energy intensity label was issued by the Commission (reg. 12(2)) |
Buildings and the EI label
Part IV applies to office buildings ascertained and notified under section 3(4): an annual energy intensity label, and a two-star minimum rating from the fifth year.
- Building type
- Office building (Third Schedule, Act 861)
- Operating criterion
- Gross floor area of 8,000 square metres and above, or a building solely built or used for office purposes, subject to further determination by the Commission
- Set out in
- Guideline on Ascertaining a Building and the Energy Intensity Performance of a Building — not in the Regulations
- Trigger
- Written notice under section 3(4)
- Minimum rating
- Not lower than two stars, annually from the fifth year
Part IV applies to a person in charge of a building described in the Third Schedule, which lists office buildings, following ascertainment and written notice by the Commission under section 3(4). The operating criterion is set out in the Guideline on Ascertaining a Building and the Energy Intensity Performance of a Building, which specifies an office building with a gross floor area of 8,000 square metres and above, and a building solely built or used for office purposes, subject to further determination by the Commission.
- Energy intensity label (section 10, regulation 11) — applied for electronically each year. The first application is made within thirty days after the expiry of one year from the section 3(4) notice; subsequent applications within thirty days before the existing label expires.
- Display of the label (section 11), and offences for alteration or forgery (section 12).
- Minimum energy efficiency rating (section 13, regulation 12) — the building energy intensity performance must be not lower than two stars, with compliance required annually commencing in the fifth year from the year the first energy intensity label was issued.
- Non-compliance (sections 13 to 15) — where the prescribed rating is not met, the framework provides for notice, an audit by a registered energy auditor, an audit report and an energy efficiency improvement plan.
Section 16
Section 16 is easy to miss: it disapplies sections 13, 14 and 15 in the circumstances specified in that section. Check the official text against your own situation.
Enforcement
Penalties are specified per offence. Section 62 extends liability to directors, officers and others involved in the management of a company or other body.
Penalties are specified separately for individual offences, and they do not all fall on the same person. Some attach to the energy consumer as a body; others attach personally to the individual holding a registration. From the Act as gazetted:
- Failing to appoint a registered energy manager — energy consumer, fine not exceeding RM50,000 (section 5(3)).
- A registered energy manager who contravenes his statutory functions and duties under section 5(2) — the manager personally, fine not exceeding RM20,000 (section 5(4)).
- Failing to develop and implement an energy management system within the prescribed period — energy consumer, fine not exceeding RM50,000 (section 6(3)); and failing to do so in accordance with the guidelines — energy consumer again, fine not exceeding RM20,000 (section 6(4)).
- The EE&C report — two offences, two people. A registered energy manager who fails to prepare it is liable personally to a fine not exceeding RM20,000 (section 7(3)). An energy consumer who fails to submit it is liable to a fine not exceeding RM50,000 (section 7(4)). Preparation and submission are separate duties under section 7(1) and 7(2), and both attach.
- Failing to appoint a registered energy auditor under section 8(2) — energy consumer, fine not exceeding RM50,000 (section 8(4)).
- Failing to submit the energy audit report, or a new report directed by the Commission — energy consumer, fine not exceeding RM50,000 (section 9(10)).
Note where the personal exposure actually is. The two fines that fall on an individual rather than on the organisation are section 5(4) and section 7(3), and both attach to the registered energy manager. Neither of the section 6 penalties does — the energy management system is the energy consumer’s duty, and both of its offences are the energy consumer’s.
Director and officer liability
Section 62 extends the consequences of an offence by a company or other body to certain directors, officers and other persons involved in its management. Where the company or other body is found guilty, a person within the categories specified in that section is deemed guilty of the same offence and is liable to the same punishment or penalty as an individual unless that person proves both that the offence occurred without their knowledge and that it occurred without their consent or connivance, with all reasonable precautions and due diligence having been exercised to prevent it. EECA compliance therefore requires governance oversight and should not be treated solely as a facilities function.
Section 61 allows prescribed offences to be compounded. The Minister, with the approval of the Public Prosecutor, prescribes which offences may be compounded; the Commission may then compound such an offence with the written consent of the Public Prosecutor, before prosecution is instituted, for a sum not exceeding fifty per cent of the maximum fine. Compounding is a possible enforcement route, not an entitlement, and not available for every contravention.
The ST guidelines
Seven guidelines issued under section 67, plus registration guides. Work from the current version on the ST website, not from a saved copy.
Issued under section 67, these are the documents you will work from day to day:
- Guideline on Ascertaining Energy Consumer — how consumption is measured, the boundary, and the conversion factors for each energy resource.
- Guideline on Energy Management System — what the EnMS must contain.
- Guideline on Functions and Duties of REM — what the registered energy manager is accountable for.
- Guideline on Ascertaining Building and Energy Intensity Performance of the Building — the building criteria and how EIP is calculated.
- Guideline on Energy Audit Report — required structure and content of the audit report.
- Guideline on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Report — required structure and content of the EE&C report.
- Guideline on Energy Using Product — for manufacturers and importers under Part V; electric motors and hot and cold water dispensers commence 1 January 2027.
Always work from the current version
ST also publishes guides on the registration of energy managers and energy auditors.
Guidelines and guides may be revised or replaced. Always use the current version published by ST rather than relying on a previously downloaded copy. All seven EECA guidelines were amended to Pind. 1/2026, dated 6 August 2026 and published by ST on 12 August 2026 — anything downloaded before then is superseded.
We deliberately do not host copies of the gazetted instruments here. Legislation may be amended and guidelines revised, and a stale PDF on a consultant website is worse than none. Go to the source: the Suruhanjaya Tenaga EECA 2024 page, which holds the whole collection in one place, and the Attorney General Chambers portal at lom.agc.gov.my for the gazetted federal legislation.
This page is a plain-English guide to publicly gazetted instruments and to guidelines issued by the Commission. It is general information, not legal advice, and the official texts prevail. Wording verified against Act 861 and P.U.(A) 466/2024 as gazetted, and the ST guidelines as amended by Pind. 1/2026.
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EECA 2024 Threshold Checker
Answer a few questions about your state, energy sources and annual consumption to see whether you meet the designated consumer threshold.
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Scored gap assessment against GP/ST/No.46/2024 (Pind. 1/2026), your compliance timeline and a 13-document starter pack.
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