Compulsory Registration For Traders Of Energy-Efficient Appliances

Importers, manufacturers, retailers and distributors of household refrigerators, freezers, wine chillers and air-conditioning units who intend to sell in the domestic market must have their items registered with the National Energy Efficiency Registration, Testing and Labelling Programme.

Registration should be done at https://360.ncra.org.jm where relevant information will be provided to the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA).

The programme, which is being undertaken by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) in collaboration with the NCRA, requires manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers of refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners to submit these items for energy efficiency testing by the BSJ.

The NCRA is responsible for the regulatory aspect of the programme and issuing of the requisite certificate and labels if the equipment is found to be compliant.

Speaking at a virtual awareness session on the initiative on July 14, Inspector in Charge, Import and Domestic Commodities Inspectorate NCRA, Dr. Wendell Richards, said the programme aims to lower Jamaica’s carbon footprint and importation cost for fossil fuel and reduce the vulnerability to climate change and environmental pollution.

He also said it aims to register distributors and importers of energy efficient appliances, monitor compliance of energy efficient appliances and influence consumer purchasing decisions. The  NCRA’s inspectors, specifically those in the import and commodity inspectorate, will be monitoring for compliance, Dr Richards said.

He noted that the compulsory standard specifications are Jamaica Standard Specification for the Labelling of Energy Efficient Appliances – JS1 Part 21; Jamaica Standard Specification for the Testing of Refrigerators – JS CRS 57; and Jamaica Standard Specification for the Testing of Room Air-conditioners – JS CRS 59.

He urged stakeholders to comply with the relevant standards, study the standards and provide their manufacturers and suppliers with an electronic copy of the standards.

Dr. Richards noted that the process is guided by Section 8B of the Standards Regulations legislation, which states that “any person who for the purpose of sale, imports into Jamaica, manufactures or processes any commodity for which a compulsory standard specification has been declared, shall be registered under this regulation in respect of that commodity”.

He said sanctions will be applied for persons who fail to comply with the specifications. These may include removal of unregistered or wrongfully labelled items from the marketplace, issuance of violation letter or legal action.

In his remarks, Technical Officer in the Energy Efficiency Lab, BSJ, Nigel Davids, said that the programme was launched in October 2017. The testing facilities were commissioned in July 2018 and the lab started conducting energy efficiency tests in Jan. 2019.

For more information, persons may send queries to info@bsj.org.jm or info@ncra.org.jm.