Starting  July this year, the General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) will implement the Energy Star rating system to enhance the power efficiency of air conditioners (ACs) in Qatar.
The measure will be introduced as part of Kahramaa’s National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed), in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
Energy Star is an international standard for energy-efficient consumer products originated in the United States. It was created in 1992 by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Since then, many Western countries  have adopted the programme. Devices carrying the Energy Star service mark generally use 20-30% less energy than required by federal standards.
The standard is endorsed by putting a sticker  on electrical appliances to indicate their rate of energy efficiency. The more the number of stars, the higher the energy efficiency of the appliance. When the product lacks the Energy Star sticker, it is considered to be a high consumer of energy.
In accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030 goal of maintaining  the country’s resources and attaining sustainable development, Tarsheed has succeeded in accrediting technical specifications and standards to measure the  efficiency of all the energy-saving ACs  in the country. These start with a rate of three stars and upwards for Window ACs with an Energy Efficiency Rate (EER) estimated at 8.5 to be the lowest allowed in the country. The lowest EER permitted for split-unit ACs is 9.5, which start with a four-star rating.
Soon, the Energy Star system will be applied to more electrical appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and heaters, Kahramaa said in a statement.
The system  gives the potential buyer a reliable and easy method to compare among the various types of  air conditioners available in the market and make a judgement based on  their energy  efficiency.
A public campaign to introduce the system will be launched through various media platforms.
Meanwhile, Tarsheed and Carrefour have reached an agreement to spread awareness about the campaign at various shopping malls. There will be  stands to disseminate information to the public. The campaign will be  launched in more centres soon.