Ban on air conditioners without ENERGY STAR label

Manama: Importers and manufacturers of air conditioners in the Kingdom will have to comply with the minimum energy efficiency requirements before September 30,2017, according to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT). There will be no sale or display of non-conforming air conditioners in shops in Bahrain after the deadline. All air conditioners for sale in the Kingdom should conform to the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) system. "The rating system uses Energy Stars from 1 to 6 based on EER," said MOICT Standards and Metrology Directorate Standards Implementation and QA Chief Mona Alalawi.
"The stars are determined by the manufacturer based on tests conducted at set temperature conditions. The EER rating system was enforced in Bahrain since February 21, 2016 and now companies are in a hurry to sell off their old AC stocks which doesn’t meet much of energy efficiency requirements before the deadline. The regulation on energy labeling and minimum energy performance requirements for air conditioners is enforced in the Kingdom in partnership with the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). A room air conditioner's efficiency is measured by the energy efficiency ratio. The EER is the ratio of the cooling capacity (in British thermal units [Btu] per hour) to the power input (in watts). The higher the EER rating, the more efficient the air conditioner. So when buying a new room air conditioner, look for the Energy Star label. "