Major distributors and retailers of air-conditioners (ACs) in the country have chalked out plans to implement Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa)'s decision to introduce the Energy Star rating system to ensure the power efficiency of ACs.
Kahramaa, in association with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment , will implement the Energy Star system from July as part of its National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed).
Speaking to Gulf Times, distributors of leading AC brands said they had been informed about the new system and would comply with the decision.
Stating that they have received the necessary information from the departments concerned, a senior official of a well-known AC brand said: “This is a practice in many of the GCC countries and we will fully comply with the new regulations. We will try to sell the existing stock, well before the new decision comes into effect this July.”
The official also said representatives of the company had a one-to-one meeting with the government officials. “Our company representatives met with the officials and discussed the matter. This has been done with all leading brands of ACs in the country. From this July, ACs with star rating only will be imported,” he added.
An official of another AC manufacturer said they have started selling the current stock of ACs "without looking for any profit".
“We will fully comply with the new regulations. We have only very limited stock at present, which we will try to sell within this period. We may have to reduce the prices and sell them quickly.”
Meanwhile, hypermarkets in the country are also gearing up to sell only those ACs that have star rating from July, in line with the new system.
An official of Safari Hypermarket said distributors would have to make sure that they supplied ACs that complied with the new government regulations. “We have not got any written communication so far but have been told about the new law. We will follow the government order and strictly implement it at our outlets.”
A spokesman for the Quality Group, another leading retailer of ACs in the country, said they have minimised the procurement of ACs for sale at their outlets across the country.
“We are not promoting products that consume high units of energy. We are also educating our customers on the upcoming changes and the benefits of converting to five-star split ACs. Besides, we are offering good promotions and attractive prices for split ACs. At times, we even offer 25% off or gift vouchers on split ACs,” an official said.
Energy Star is an international standard for energy-efficient consumer products. Devices carrying the Energy Star service mark generally use 20-30% less energy than the conventional products.