Senior Reporter
andrea.perez-sobers@guardian.co.tt
Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon said yesterday the Government remains committed to improving energy efficiency and strengthening national energy policies and regulatory frameworks.
She made the comment at the Quality for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean (QSEC) Project Closure event, hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) in Macoya, yesterday.
Gopee-Scoon said this can be seen through the energy efficiency laboratory where testing continues to take place.
To date, the minister noted that the TTBS has tested 22 batches of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting samples and two batches of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) lighting samples locally and four batches of LEDs and one batch of CFLs from the region.
However, Gopee-Scoon explained that there have been some challenges when it comes to labelling.
“What is alarming is that after conducting labelling tests on some local CFL and LED samples, they failed to meet the standard, indicating a deficiency in labelling practices. Furthermore, the performance testing showed that LED samples failed to meet the requirements of international standards,” said Gopee-Scoon.
In the regional piloting countries of Jamaica and Barbados, the minister said similar trends in testing outcomes were observed.
“In Jamaica, all tested LED and CFL samples failed to meet both labelling and performance standards. In Barbados, while there was an improvement in LED labelling compliance, with 50 per cent passing, all LED samples failed performance testing,” she detailed.
These statistics Gopee-Scoon identified are indicative of a need to implement rigorous quality control procedures to ensure greater adherence to international standards for lighting products.
“To overcome these challenges, concerted efforts are required to strengthen regulatory frameworks, enhance product testing and certification processes, and foster greater collaboration among stakeholders to create a more resilient and sustainable energy environment in the region,” she outlined.
In response, she said her ministry—through the Bureau—intends to enforce the National Standard for LEDs and CFLs with the new Energy Efficiency Lab testing all models of bulbs on sale in the local market for conformance, as this will reduce the supply of sub-standard and non-conforming LED and CFL products on the market.
Also speaking was TTBS chairman Lawford Dupres the Quality for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean (QSEC) project, who said this is a game-changer, not only for T&T but for the entire region, as the way is paved for sustainable energy solutions. “The QSEC Project has been laser-focused on expanding and enhancing Quality Infrastructure (QI) services, particularly in standardisation, inspection, and testing. The goal is to provide a solid technical foundation for the use of energy-efficient devices and renewable energy technologies,” Dupres said.
He said the bureau plays a vital role in the development of the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors, and the level of awareness around these issues has been steadily growing since 2007.
“We’ve seen a notable increase in energy efficiency awareness, and consumers are becoming more discerning. They want products that deliver on their promises, and rightly so. This heightened awareness has made it essential for consumer protection agencies to step up their game and for importers, retailers, and consumers to stay informed,” Dupres highlighted.
The TTBS chairman noted that consumer protection is a top priority, and the Energy Efficiency Laboratory plays a crucial role in ensuring that consumers have access to quality products.
“By testing lamps (CFLs and LEDs) to international standards and applying regional minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), the lab is helping to level the playing field for retailers and importers, who often find themselves competing against inferior products that undercut their efforts to provide quality goods,” he added.