Australia · costs in AUD
Bottom-mount fridge freezer · 2 doors
Panasonic NR-BW530J Fridge
Panasonic NR-BW530J is a 498 L bottom-mount fridge freezer registered under Australia’s Energy Rating (GEMS) scheme (registration ARF2903).
- Total capacity
- 498 L
- 312 L fridge + 186 L freezer
- Energy rating
- 5
- Star rating index 5.16
- Annual electricity use
- 317 kWh
- Label figure (comparative energy consumption)
- Estimated running cost
- $101 / year
- $8.45 / month · $1,014 over 10 years
3% more electricity than the median of 66 comparable 400–499 L bottom-mount fridge freezer registrations (307 kWh a year). It uses less than 39% of them. At 32c/kWh that is about $3 a year more than the median, $32 over 10 years.
Uses 44% less than the maximum allowed for its size and type under the minimum energy performance standard (569 kWh a year MEPS level).
Cost = label kWh × 32c/kWh in AUD; change the price above to your tariff.
How efficient is it for its size?
Cohort: every currently registered 400–499 L bottom-mount fridge freezer sold in Australia, counted once per registration. Star ratings already account for size through the GEMS adjusted-volume formula; this comparison is in raw kWh against models a buyer would actually consider instead.
Panasonic NR-BW530J running cost
- Per month
- $8.45
- Per year
- $101
- 5 years
- $507
- 10 years
- $1,014
317 kWh × 32c/kWh. No inflation or tariff change assumed. Fridges run continuously, so the label figure is a whole-year estimate under standard test conditions.
Capacity and compartments
- Total gross volume
- 498 L
- Fresh food (fridge) volume
- 312 L
- Frozen storage volume
- 186 L
- GEMS adjusted volume
- 644 L
- fresh food compartment
- 312 L gross
- freezer compartment
- 186 L gross
Gross volumes exclude shelving. Fresh food = fresh food, chill and cellar compartments; frozen = freezer, two-star and ice-making (zero-star) compartments. Adjusted volume weights frozen space more heavily and is what the government uses to set the star rating for the size.
Similar bottom-mount fridge freezers that use less electricity
Same type, total capacity within 12% of 498 L, at least 3% lower annual kWh.
| Model | Stars | Est. cost / yr | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher & Paykel RF505BRNQX1515 L159 kWh/yr | 8 | $51 | |
| Haier HRF510BEC517 L169 kWh/yr | 8 | $54 | |
| Hisense HRBM503E503 L174 kWh/yr | 8 | $56 | |
| Electrolux EBE5002*E496 L254 kWh/yr | 6 | $81 | |
| Electrolux EBE5002WE496 L254 kWh/yr | 6 | $81 |
Fridges similar to the Panasonic NR-BW530J
| Model | Capacity | Stars | kWh / yr | Why similar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilve R76FDAU/SS same capacity, same door count, similar external size | 499 L | 4 | 380 | same capacity, same door count, similar external size |
| Westinghouse WBE5300BC same capacity, same door count, similar star rating | 496 L | 5 | 309 | same capacity, same door count, similar star rating |
| Westinghouse WBE5304BC same capacity, same door count, similar star rating | 496 L | 5 | 309 | same capacity, same door count, similar star rating |
| Haier HRF520BW 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating | 493 L | 5 | 306 | 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating |
| Hisense HRBM503S 1% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 503 L | 4.5 | 349 | 1% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Haier HRF520BHC 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating | 493 L | 5 | 306 | 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating |
| Liebherr ECBNh 9972 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 511 L | 4.5 | 353 | 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
Same consumer type, total capacity within 12% of 498 L; ordered by closeness of capacity, then lowest annual kWh.
Other Panasonic models of similar size
| Model | Stars | Est. cost / yr | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic NR-BW530H505 L320 kWh/yr | 5 | $102 |
Compare NR-BW530J with another fridge
Panasonic NR-BW530J specifications
- Type
- Bottom-mount fridge freezer
- Configuration
- Upright
- Doors
- 2
- Defrost
- Variable defrost controller
- Ice maker
- –
- Width
- 750 mm
- Height
- 1,730 mm
- Depth
- 750 mm
- Annual energy (label)
- 317 kWh
- Star rating index
- 5.163
- MEPS level (maximum allowed)
- 569 kWh
- kWh per adjusted litre
- 0.492
- Country of manufacture
- Vietnam
Australian GEMS registration details
- Registration number
- ARF2903
- GEMS registration id
- 148580
- Status
- approved, available (self-reported)
- Registration expires
- 1 August 2027
- Registered for sale in
- Australia, Fiji, New Zealand
- Family
- –
- Designation
- Refrigerator/freezer
- Product class
- Class 6
- GEMS group
- Group 5B: refrigerator-freezer, automatic defrost, bottom-mounted freezer
- Regulatory standard
- Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Household Refrigerating Appliances) Determination 2019
- Test standard
- AS/NZS IEC 62552.3:2018
- Consumer type rule
- GEMS group 5B (frost-free fridge freezer, bottom-mounted freezer) with one or two doors
Source: Australian Government Energy Rating (GEMS) registration data, DCCEEW via data.gov.au (CC BY 3.0 AU). Dataset published 25 September 2026; last checked 26 September 2026. Manufacturer: panasonic.com/au. How the derived figures are calculated.