Don’t procure ‘second-hand or home-used’ electrical gadgets – Energy Commission

The Energy Commission has advised the public to refrain from procuring 'second-hand or home-used' electrical appliances to reduce electricity consumption in their homes.Mr Richard Donkor, the Manager of Energy and Efficiency Regulation of the Commission, who gave the advice said though the already used or second-hand electrical appliances were cheap, they had high power consumption.He also cautioned importers to ensure that electrical appliances imported into the country met the required and specific standards.Mr Donkor further urged importers against smuggling of inferior or sub-standard electrical appliances into the Ghanaian market.He was speaking at a day's stakeholders engagement meeting held at Abesim, near Sunyani and organised by the Commission to sensitize the public about the commission's mandate and some new regulatory requirements for electrical appliances.It was attended by dealers in electrical appliances, importers and shop owners, consumers, and security agencies, and they were taken through the regulatory requirements, excise duties, and some regulations in the energy sector.Mr Donkor said inferior or sub-standard electrical gadgets could not only trigger domestic fire outbreaks but also consume more electricity too, saying, sub-standard refrigerators, washing machines and televisions increased household energy consumption.He said the Commission had developed the 'GH appliances mobile application' to guide consumers, and advised the public to download the app that would guide them to authenticate the efficiency of electrical appliances.Mr Donkor expressed worry about the impact of climate change, which was well felt in the country, worrying that energy production industries were contributing greatly to climate change due to the high carbon emissions.He said the energy sector produced the highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions and advised importers to endeavour to import durable appliances for the Ghanaian market.Mr Hubert Nsoh Zan, the Assistant Manager of Energy Efficiency Regulation advised the public to procure energy-efficient and durable electrical appliances, urging that 'consumers must always look for the Energy Efficiency Yellow labels with the Star Ratings' to avoid buying substandard gadgets.Source: Ghana News Agency