Eco / Economy (leaf)
A setting that limits how hard the unit works, by nudging the set temperature or capping power, in exchange for a little less cooling or heating.
What pressing it does
What it actually does depends on the make. Midea (in cool) sets 24 °C and auto fan if you had set lower; Mitsubishi Electric’s ECONO COOL raises the setting by 2 °C and swings the flap; Fujitsu adjusts a few degrees and caps output at about 70 %; Daikin’s ECONO caps maximum power so the breaker does not trip.
What it does not do
It does not mean the same thing on every make, and any saving is the maker’s own claim for its own unit — Daikin says ECONO will not reduce consumption if it is already low.
Makes differ, check your unit’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a button does and which modes it works in.
- What it looks like
- A leaf, the letters eco in a stylised font, or the word ECO / ECONO / ECONOMY.
- Names makers use
- ECO (Midea, Panasonic); ECONOMY (Fujitsu); ECONO (Daikin); ECONO COOL (Mitsubishi Electric); Eco (Samsung)
Where makers differ
See above: a set-temperature shift (Midea, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu), a power cap (Daikin, Fujitsu) or a limited temperature range (Samsung). Midea allows it only in cool; Panasonic not in fan mode.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines air-conditioner remote icons, so this meaning is taken from 5 makers’ own manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Midea: Midea — Remote controller owner’s manual, RG51A(2)/E and RG51B(2)/E (PDF) — ECO: in COOL mode the remote sets 24 °C and Auto fan when the setting is below 24 °C; “it may result in insufficient cooling.” “This function is only available under COOL mode.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Mitsubishi Electric: Mitsubishi Electric — MSZ-LN indoor unit service manual OBH766 revised edition B (PDF, UK library) — “ECONO COOL … set temperature is automatically set 2°C higher … Also the horizontal vane swings in various cycle.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Fujitsu General: Fujitsu General — Operating manual, wall-mounted 18/24RLB and 30/36RLXB (US, PDF) — ECONOMY: in COOL or DRY the room is held a few degrees above the setting, in HEAT a few below; “the maximum output of this operation is approximately 70 % of usual air conditioning operation.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Daikin: Daikin web operation manual — ECONO / OUTDOOR UNIT QUIET operation — “ECONO operation enables efficient operation by limiting the maximum power consumption … useful to prevent the circuit breaker from tripping … If the power consumption level is already low, switching to ECONO operation will not reduce the power consumption.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Samsung: Samsung — Wind-Free 2.0 air conditioner user manual, AR**TSFA*** (PDF on Samsung HVAC’s document store) — Eco function: “reduce electricity consumption while staying cool or warm … in Cool or Heat mode”; limits the allowed set temperatures and starts vertical air swing. Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.