NEW AC TEST LABORATORY FOR THE GHANA STANDARDS AUTHORITY- (GSA)
The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), has confirmed that a new state-of-the art Test Laboratory for the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), with the ability to assess the energy performance of ductless room air-conditioning (RAC) systems and refrigerators, currently under construction in Accra, will be ready for commissioning shortly. Construction of the building to house the Test Laboratory, being undertaken by Messrs. GHS Housing Limited of Ghana, will be completed by the end of March 2021, while the installation of the test equipment is expected to be completed in July 2021.
The Test Laboratory will be the first of its kind in the West Africa Sub-Region and will conduct tests and offer services that will ensure that high energy consuming electrical appliances, such as Air Conditioners and Refrigerators, imported into Ghana, meet the Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) set out in the Energy Commission’s Regulations. It will also support the National Appliance Standards and Labelling Systems Programme, spearheaded by the Energy Commission (EC). These vital services will consequently contribute to the efficient use of electricity in Ghana.
The building and the laboratory equipment, form part of the Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM) Project of the Ghana Power Compact, and were procured at a cost of US$1.95 million under the Three Hundred and Eight Million US Dollars (US$ 308 million) grant funds made available to Ghana by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an Agency of the United States Government.
Mr. Sylvester Ayayee, the EEDSM Manager of MiDA, with responsibility for the Project, in explaining the significance of the Project, added that the Energy Commission currently relies on accredited third-party Laboratory Reports and Certificates generated outside Ghana to ascertain the energy efficiency ratings and performance of RAC appliances and equipment, imported into Ghana.
The AC Test facility is a vital and timely addition to the assets of the GSA, and will expand the capacity of both GSA and the EC to test the energy ratings of RACs and Refrigerators, and curtail the importation of low standard and poor quality equipment and appliances into the country and ultimately contribute to the reduction in power consumption in the country.
The Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Prof Alex Dodoo, conveying the Authority’s appreciation to a MiDA and MCC Team visiting the Project Site, remarked that “the Test Laboratory, the first of its kind in the West Africa Sub-region, is a game-changer for both the GSA and the Energy Commission, as it will significantly support ongoing arrangements towards the enforcement of world-class appliance standards and labelling regimes in Ghana.” He was also optimistic that “it will enhance the image of GSA, as an Institution with the best equipped laboratory in the Sub-Region”.