The Energy Commission has announced effective January, 2019, it would enforce the passage of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2353 passed in 20017, to check and regulate sub-standard Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps in the markets.
Parliament has already passed two regulations, namely LI 1958 and LI 1815 which regulate the standard of household refrigerators and air-conditioners respectively.
The new regulation, that is LI 2353 would enable the commission tackle lamps that emit higher energy and give customers better information on the products before buying.
In 2017, the Energy Commission introduced a Certified Refrigerating App to educate consumers on the refrigerators that have been approved and verified by the commission. The app has now been updated to Certified Appliances App, as new products are being added.
The motive of the app was to build consumer confidence, give important information on products in terms of monetary value and cost of maintenance. It was also developed to help consumers identify energy efficient appliances and help the commission eliminate sub-standard electrical appliances that are smuggled into the country.
As part of events marking the 20th anniversary of the Energy Commission, the inspection team of the commission inspected some selected shops at the Industrial Area to check the compliance level of refrigerators and air-conditioners as well as educate retailer shops and the public on the usage of the Certified Appliance App.
Briefing the media during the tour, the Inspector in-charge of Energy Efficiency at the commission, Mr, Hubert Zan said Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) recently ran a test on some of the appliances on the market and realized the lights were actually below standards, adding, it was important to enforce the LI to eliminate such sub-standard products from the market.
“The enforcement action is to detain the items and check whether they meet the standard. We will be going to the markets, picking samples and running tests on them. The test will confirm whether the products meet the standard or not”.
“The regulation states clearly that appliances that fall below the standard are to be re-exported or forfeited to the state”, he said.
Importers and the business communities of such appliances were urged to come to the commission for approval before the import them, adding, “you always need a moratorium for the importers to update themselves with its education and also deal with their manufacturers”.
To be proactive in dealing effectively sub-standard products before entering into the Ghanaian markets, the commission is working with the GSA and the Customs Divisions
By Dundas Whigham
