DOHA: Dealers and importers are getting ready to comply with a set of new regulations, with Qatar preparing to ban air conditioners and electrical bulbs/lamps that do not meet Qatari standards and specifications on energy conservation. The ban will come into force early next year.
A blanket ban on the import of incandescent bulbs/lamps (tungsten) will be in place from January 1 next year, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) said yesterday.
Air conditioners that do not meet Qatari standards on energy efficiency are also included in the new regulations, it added.
The ban to be imposed by the Ministry of Environment comes as a major boost to Tarsheed, a nationwide campaign launched by Kahramaa last year to rationalise consumption of water and electricity. Tarsheed aims to reduce per capita water and power consumption by 35 percent and 20 percent, respectively, in five years.
Under the new rules, only energy-saving air conditioners (window and split) which comply with standards — QS SASO 2663/2013 — will be allowed into the country. The Energy Efficiency Rate (EER) of these air conditioners should not be less than 8.5 Btu (British Thermal Unit) per hour.
Importers will be required to produce a certificate from an accredited laboratory (ISO 17025 certified) proving that the air conditioners meet the standards.
Kahramaa said that incandescent bulbs and lamps have been banned for their “negative impact on energy consumption and environment.” In the first phase, the ban will apply to 100w and 75w bulbs/lamps. A certificate from an accredited laboratory will be a must for consignments to be cleared at the ports of entry.
Several dealers said yesterday that they were awaiting government directives to channelise imports accordingly.
“We are aware of the new rules and standards not only for air conditioners and electrical bulbs, but also many other items. We are waiting for directives from the government to comply with the new rules,” said a senior official of a company dealing in a popular brand. He said products meeting the new standards are already available in the international market, since several countries, including some GCC states, have already implemented such regulations.
“We don’t think there will be a shortage of the products in the market when the ban is implemented. If the ban is to be implemented early next year, there is time to dispose of the existing stocks and place orders for new stocks that meet the new standards,” he added.
He said that most air conditioners in the Qatari market already meet energy efficiency standards. Tarsheed has started delivering results, with power consumption in the country dipping by 10.5 percent per capita in the first six months of the year as compared to the same period last year, Kahramaa recently said.
The Peninsula
