The Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has demanded that the promotion of energy-efficiency standards for appliances must be on top priority of the government and manufacturers.
A study on product labelling and energy efficiency conducted by CRCP revealed that population growth coupled with increased industrial, agricultural and commercial activity to meet the basic needs of people has enhanced power demand across South Asia. This situation had led to energy crisis in some developing countries, said a statement on Wednesday.
Moreover, slow pace of policy-making for development of new energy resources, poor implementation of national standards of products, lack of adoption of new technologies to produce energy-efficient appliances and lack of awareness among consumers for selection of energy-efficient and environmental-friendly home appliances have aggravated this crisis in the developing countries.
The aim of this initiative is to promote labelled, safe and energy-efficient home appliances through creating environment for consumer choices in purchase and use of energy appliances and making the supply side responsive to consumer needs. During the study, a market survey of 500 retailers and 100 consumers of five energy appliances was undertaken in two metro cities of the country ie Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Lahore.
The rationale behind the survey was to collect information about various brands regarding their popularity, prices, labelling, availability and their energy efficiency etc. Besides, it also aimed at measuring the level of consumers' knowledge and preferences with particular reference to energy efficiency and power consumption.
Keeping in view the diverse nature of the population, an attempt was made to include people of all socio-economic strata in the study. In addition to the socio-economic diversity of the sample, another point that was considered during collection of the data was the variation in the energy consumption pattern.
The study included the review of label information of the five selected brands of energy appliances. All collected information was compared with the available national standards.
Status of product testing laboratories and concerned institutions, which provide the services of accreditation and quality standards, was also assessed. An analysis of national standards for labelling requirement of both countries ie India and Pakistan was also performed.
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