The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has concluded arrangements to face out the filament bulbs and other high energy consuming devices to save energy and forex.
The Director General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, who disclosed this in Lagos, tasked importers and manufactures discourage importation and manufacturing of such products as SON is working in line with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration vision to boost energy and ensure consumers have value for their money.
At the commissioning and launch of the AC Bioclimatic Testing Chamber, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and GIZ in Lagos, he said the facility is coming at a time when the country is struggling with energy shortages, adding that SON is willing to support any initiative aimed at ensuring Nigeria promotes the use of sustainable energy efficiency systems.
The SON boss, who was represented by the Director, Product Certification, SON, Mr. Tersoo Orngudwem, said, “This is why we are partnering the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) to ensure that this comes to reality. We are using this opportunity to encourage Nigerians to use only energy-friendly devices in their houses.”
He added: “The Director General, SON, in a short while will be making an announcement on importation of non- energy friendly equipment in our environment.We will give a timeframe for phasing out non energy-friendly equipment. There are market forces and trends determined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
“We cannot just change a policy overnight. We will give a timeframe for phasing out of the equipment and it would be publicly announced so that the importers, manufacturers and consumers will know when they will start having the right thing in the market.”
The Director General said that the launch represents a significant leap in the field of testing, particularly in the areas of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) specifically for the testing of Air Conditioning systems.
“It suffices for the determination and verification of compliances of Air Conditioners to the Minimum Energy Performance Standards & Labels (MEPS &L). I am particularly excited that this specialised testing facility designed for evaluating the performance, energy efficiency, and durability of air conditioning units, will provide a more concerted conformity assessment solution in this sector in Nigeria and across West Africa,” he said.
According to him, global energy challenges and the attendant environmental implications are no longer news, but stated that the need to find sustainable solutions is of paramount importance.
