Energy Commission Outdoors Certified Refrigerating Mobile Application

The Energy Commission has outdoored its newly developed Certified Refrigerating Mobile Application aimed at assisting consumers to identify shops that deals in certified refrigerators from those which deals in unapproved refrigerators, with a call on Ghanaians to make use of the App.

The Application, which was developed by the IT Department of the Energy Commission, would have cost the Commission more than US$30,000 if it had been outsourced.

The objective of the Application is to speedy up the Commission’s efforts in getting rid of high energy consuming refrigerators being imported into the country by some unscrupulous importers.

Speaking in an interview with Oman FM, the Acting Director for Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Department at the Energy Commission, Mr. Kofi Agyarko, who described the development of the Application as a great feat, believes the initiative, will help to minimize the stress officials of the Commission go through in tracking locations of fake refrigerators.

He said since 2012 when the government of Ghana placed a ban on the importation of second hand refrigerators into the country, the Commission had been doing a lot to stop dealers from importing these used fridges, but said the exercise had been very stressful, saying the Mobile Application would make their work a bit easier.

“We also want to use this Application to make things easier for consumers,” he said.

“For you to use the Application go to the Google Play Store then you enter Certified Refrigerating Application and once you do that Application which is in yellow colour will turn up.

You will then have to install it on your phone. So when you get to the shop where you want to buy the refrigerator just pick the model number of the refrigerator and enter it, and if it certified one the Application will let you know it and if it’s fake you will also get to know.

Again the Application will also let you know all the shops in that particular location that deals in certified refrigerators for you to go and buy the energy efficient one,” Mr. Agyarko explained.

According to Mr. Agyarko, the Commission has noted that some unscrupulous importers have deliberately printed the Commission's stickers and embossed them on the unapproved refrigerators just to deceive consumers therefore the Commission has plotted coordinates of all the electrical appliances shops in the country in their data to ensure easy identification of shops that deals in approved refrigerators.

"For instance if you enter a shop and you type the model number on the refrigerator in the Application and it is one of the unapproved refrigerators the Commission will get to know and once we know that we will follow up to that shop and arrest the owner," he stated.

Mr. Agyarko said the application was developed to bring sanity into the market and ensure 100 per cent compliance of the Commission’s regulations on proper labeling of appliances.

He cautioned that a person found guilty to have imported substandard appliances into the country could be fined at most 60 penalty units (GH¢720.00) or serve a year prison term.

He commended importers of appliances for ensuring 98 per cent compliance to its regulations but warned them against the use of fake labeling, saying “we will flush you out like water.”

He urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds that second hand products are the best and take advantage of the application to acquire energy saving and durable appliances.

He said very soon, all electrical appliances would be added to the App to enable prospective buyers get information about it before they purchase them.

Story By: Michael Creg Afful

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