SASO Organizes Workshop on Registration Process for Lighting Products in the Eastern Province

SASO Organizes Workshop on Registration Process for Lighting Products in the Eastern Province

In collaboration with the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) and Asharqia Chamber, SASO has organized a workshop entitled “The Process of Registration for Lighting Products According to the Technical Regulation No. SASO- 2870-2015” on Tuesday, April 19th, 2016 corresponding to Rajab 12th, 1437 AH.

The workshop was opened by a speech delivered by the Director General of SASO’s branch in the Eastern Province, SASO’s spokesman, Mr. Tamis bin Ali Al Hammadi. In his speech, he pointed out to the importance of implementing the technical regulation “Energy Efficiency, Functionality, and Labeling Requirements for Lighting Products” No. SASO-2872:2015- Part One. He mentioned the stages of implementing this regulation and the efforts that have been exerted by related bodies to reduce the trading of low-quality lighting products which negatively affect the ongoing attempts to rationalize the energy consumption of lighting products. These efforts are also exerted to raise consumer awareness of the product he or she intends to purchase.

The workshop involved two working papers. The first working paper included a detailed explanation for the regulation and its requirements, and the second working paper addressed the registration process and the procedures to obtain the energy efficiency label for lighting products. The mandatory enforcement of including the label in the certificates of conformity (COC) for imported consignments coming to the Kingdom will commence on Rajab 24th, 1437 AH, corresponding to May 1st, 2016. Manufacturing or importing lighting products, for which no permission from SASO to use the label is obtained or which do not correspond to lighting standard No. SASO-2870-2015-Part One, will not be allowed starting from Shawwal 27th, 1437 AH, corresponding to August 1st, 2016.

The technical regulation “Energy Efficiency, Functionality, and Labeling Requirements for Lighting Products” was approved by SASO Board of Directors in its meeting No. 152 held on Ramadan 6th, 1436 AH, corresponding to June 23rd, 2015. The efficiency label indicates the energy consumption volume for every product as it is classified according to its energy consumption, facilitating for consumers the process of selecting the most energy-efficient product. The technical regulation covers direct and indirect lamps having a luminous flux above 60 lumens and below 12 000 lumens for the technologies of incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, compact fluorescent lamps with integrated ballast (CFLi), and light emitting diode (LED) lamps. Lighting products consume about 9% of the total energy consumption in the Kingdom. On the other hand, the annual consumption volume is estimated to exceed 5 billion riyals. The rationalization of electrical energy consumption for those products is considered an important part of the initiatives launched to rationalize energy consumption in the Kingdom.

Organizing such workshops is a part of concentrated efforts exerted by an integrated national work system composed of many government and semi-government bodies, dominated by coordination and organization in all performance steps under the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program. The program increases energy consumption efficiency activities in building, transport, and industry sectors by implementing many procedures and initiatives that contribute to reducing the increasing consumption of energy in the Kingdom.