The extension has been granted by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in collaboration with Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ministry of Energy & Industry, Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), and Qatar General Organisation for Standards & Metrology.
“The new deadline to start applying the standard prescribed specifications for energy-saving ACs is final,” the MEC announced in a statement on Wednesday.
It warned that any violation of these specifications is a breach of Article No. (6) of law No. (8) of 2008 regarding the Consumer Protection Law, which ‘prohibits the sale or display or provide or promote or advertise any fake or corrupted goods.’
The deadline extension comes within the framework of co-operation and joint efforts between the various government agencies to ensure the protection of consumers’ rights.
It is also in response to the requests made by the agents and distributors of ACs through Qatar Chamber that they be given additional time to clear the goods in their stores, which had been supplied in accordance with the old system.
The request for additional time was based on the fact that the delivery of energy-saving ACs, in accordance with the normal procurement procedures, usually takes up to three months from the date of opening the necessary bank credits.
“In addition, there are many cases where dealers have agreements with customers based on the old pricing system, so the act of banning those ACs would lead to losses for both the dealer and the consumer,” the MEC explained.
A memorandum was released earlier to the agents and distributors of ACs, urging them to abide by the standard prescribed specifications for energy-saving air conditioners (window and split), issued by the Qatar General Organisation for Standards & Metrology under the national approved standard number (2663) and the Gulf Technical Regulations.
According to the new criteria, the energy efficiency rate should not be less than 8.5 BTU/hr (EER=8.5 BTU/Hr) according to the examination’s circumstances (T3 & T1) for all ACs (3 stars at least).
Each manufacturer has to register the model of the ACs based on the form approved by the Qatar General Organisation for Standards & Metrology and obtain a corresponding certificate to prove the number of stars for each AC at least one month before the import date.
Agents and distributors of ACs are required to provide an original testing report from a certified laboratory having the ISO 17025 or accredited certificate in accordance with the IECEE CB Scheme system, or a certificate of correspondence from an internationally recognised and attested institution proving that the system matches the criteria set forth in the national approved standard number (2663) and the Gulf Technical Regulations Number (01-BD-142004)
Voltages and frequency of the mentioned devices should be "240 Volts" for single phase and "415 Volts" for a three-phase, with frequency of "50 Hz" according to the law of the State of Qatar.
An energy efficiency metallic or plastic card should be either attached to the ACs or glued on the front of the device. In addition, the card should be approved by the Qatar General Organisation for Standards & Metrology and should show the number of stars. It is important that the card does not get detached from the device under any circumstances.