MiDA and GSA invested US$$1.8m in the new Air Conditioner and Refrigeration Test Laboratory, which was provided under the Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM) Project of the Ghana Power Compact.
The test lab is the first of its kind in Ghana and in the West Africa-sub region. It is equipped with state-of-the-art testing equipment that meet global testing standards and has the capacity to test 96 air conditioners and 48 refrigeration appliances annually. The facility has been provided with a 400kVA generator set and a dedicated transformer to ensure uninterrupted electrical power supply.
In addition to ensuring goods meet energy performance standards, the facility will complement the work of the Energy Commission in enforcing the Import Certification Scheme, which demands that selected high-risk goods entering Ghana must be certified as meeting all obligatory standards.
Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, board chairperson of MiDA, said, “it is our prayer that this asset will yield the intended benefits, by ensuring that only energy efficient cooling appliances are allowed into the Ghanaian market, thereby reducing the high energy demand and usage on the national electricity grid, while improving customer confidence in their purchase of cooling equipment.”
Construction of the lab began in June 2020 and was completed in May 2021. Installation of the equipment commenced in April 2021 and was completed within three months.