High energy-consuming ACs to be banned

The Customs Department will implement Saudi standards and classifications on minimizing energy consumption in air conditioners on Sept. 7. The Customs Department said it would not allow the import of air conditioners that do not meet local standards after the deadline.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry will ban selling high energy-consuming air conditioners, with inspections set to begin next year.
Abdullah Al-Kharboush, a Customs Department spokesman, said the decision comes after the Saudi Commission for Standards and Classifications raised the minimum capacity of air conditioners, saying the Ministry and Customs Department will begin enforcing these standards.
Abdul Muhsen Al-Shneifi, general director of limitations and supervisor for risk management at Saudi Customs, said July and August would be given as a grace period before implementing the resolution voiding certificates that do not conform to the new standards.
Implementation will take place in two stages, the first of which will begin on Sept. 7 and the second in January 2015. Customs officials will inspect cargo to make sure air conditioning units meet the required standards.
Abdel Salam Yamani, first vice president of public affairs at the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), said Saudi Arabia will witness greater rationalization in its energy supply over the next five years, which will help provide power to all industrial and commercial enterprises, as well as to residential units.
He said that electricity consumption would be reduced with an increased level of efficiency of electrical units. “The SEC hopes that the standards and specifications will apply to all electrical appliances that are manufactured locally or imported with high efficiency,” he said, adding: “It is about time we stop accepting electrical items that don’t meet international standards and this applies to local manufacturers as well.”
He reaffirmed that such a move will reduce electricity consumption in the long run.
Mohammad Al-Ajlan, board member of the Riyadh Chamber and head of its commercial committee, said the decision will boost the national economy by lowering its electricity bill.
Mohammad Abu Niban, chairman of the board of the Niban Group, said import of normal units should be banned, as air conditioners alone consume 65 percent of electricity in homes and offices in Saudi Arabia. He said the cost of electricity in the Kingdom is far higher than what consumers actually pay and that such a burden is carried by the state.
A study conducted by the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency said high-efficiency air conditioners save up to 25 percent of electricity.