While buyers of new air conditioners (ACs) stand to make significant savings on their electricity bills, they will have to spend hundreds of riyals more for buying units bearing the now mandatory energy-efficiency label, it is learnt.
Major distributors of leading split and window-type ACs have already pulled out their stocks of conventional ACs that did not meet the newly-implemented Energy-Star rating system.
But prices for the new energy-efficient AC units are higher, according to a manager at a leading hypermarket, who said split ACs would cost around QR500 and window-type QR300 more in the local market.
A merchandiser at the store’s appliances section said a 1.5-tonne Samsung split-type AC using the Energy-Star rating system now costs QR2,699, while the 2-tonne unit costs QR3,199.
The Toshiba 1.5-tonne costs QR2,999, while the 2-tonne costs QR3,499.
For window-type ACs, Sharp’s star-rated 1.5-tonne costs QR1,499, while the 2-tonne unit now costs QR1,699.
The prices for the Electrolux 1.5-tonne and 2-tonne are now QR1,249 and QR1,499, respectively.
Elekta now sells its 1.5-tonne for QR1,250 and the 2-tonne for QR1,459.
The manager said some leading brands that had been approved by the state were already on display but suppliers of other brands were still waiting approval from the Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology (QS).
“Suppliers are required to submit a letter of conformity and get the approval of the QS for importing of AC units into the country,” he said.
The letter contains the validity date and certain specifications such as the brand name, type (split or window), country of origin, model, voltage, stars required by supplier, stars according to EER (energy-efficient rating), and air conditioner tests, among others.
Qatar has banned the import and sale of all conventional ACs (without the EER ) with effect from July 1 this year, following an initiative of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp (Kahramaa), in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the QS.
Prior to the ban, Kahramaa, through the National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed), said it had campaigned for energy conservation and power efficiency to raise public awareness on the new rating systems for ACs sold in Qatar.
“We were aware of the ban but we continued selling conventional AC units and waited until the law was enforced. From then on we have returned the ACs to our suppliers. We did not want to risk committing any violations,” the manager added.