PEFMA slams NEECA for overlapping PEL rules، demands unified regulations

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electric Fans Manufacturers Association (PEFMA) has strongly criticized the National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (NEECA) for introducing Pakistan Energy Label (PEL) Regulations, calling them redundant and overlapping with existing Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) rules.
In a letter to Chairman NECCA, Chairman PEFMA, Nabeel Ahmed Ilyas has conveyed Association’s serious concerns regarding the recently introduced PEL regulations by NEECA.
“As the primary stakeholder representing the fan manufacturing industry of Pakistan, it is highly disappointing that PEFMA was not consulted or included in any stakeholder meetings or discussions prior to the drafting and implementation of these regulations, “Mr. Ilyas added.
According to the Association, it is critical to highlight that no regulation should be imposed without industry consultation and involvement, particularly when it directly affects the operations, compliance obligations, and sustainability of local manufacturers.
PEFMA’s key concerns are as follows ;(i) despite being the main representative body of the fan industry, PEFMA was not part of any consultative process related to the formulation of these regulations. This exclusion raises serious questions about the transparency and fairness of the regulatory process; and (ii) NEECA has introduced a new mechanism for the surveillance of energy-labeled fans, which involves pasting-barcode stickers on each fan. Manufacturers are required to purchase these stickers from NEECA at a cost of Rs 27 per sticker, which is not acceptable to the manufacturers as it imposes an additional financial burden on them. Typically, compliance bodies provide a standard label format, and manufacturers print and apply these labels themselves.
Moreover, a surveillance mechanism is already in place and is being implemented by PSQCA, which follows international best practices. For instance, if a manufacturer pastes a five-star energy label on a fan while the motor of the fan is of a one-star rating, the current market surveillance mechanism would identify such cases. The sticker is therefore unnecessary and serves no purpose in ensuring compliance with the standard.
Chairman PEFMA is of the view that as per international practices for compliance with export standards such as CE, SASO, and G Mark, manufacturers are typically required to provide an undertaking to the relevant certification body, confirming that all products in a series conform to the performance characteristics of the sample sent to the lab for testing. Based on this declaration, a single test report is considered sufficient for the entire series. Therefore, for fans using the same type of motor and having identical specifications, only one test report should be required and accepted, in line with these internationally recognized procedures.
Currently, the PSQCA is a federal institution with established offices and human resource all over Pakistan, which is already regulating energy performance standards and ensuring compliance through the PS-1 Standard, which is mandatory for all fan manufacturers. NEECA’s parallel star rating system duplicates this role, creating confusion and placing an unnecessary compliance burden on manufacturers, Mr. Ilyas maintained.
At the federal level, manufacturers are required to comply with both NEECA and PSQCA. At the provincial level, additional entities like PEECA, SEECA, PEDO, BEECA and other departments are involved. This overlapping jurisdiction is counterproductive and increases the regulatory burden on businesses, especially SMEs.
This also creates an unnecessary burden on the Government of Pakistan, which will have to fund an additional entity for performing the same role as the PSQCA.
PEFMA has strongly recommended that PSQCA be designated as the single regulatory authority for energy efficiency and conservation matters related to the fan industry and NEECA should play a supporting role and coordinate with PSQCA rather than operating as parallel regulatory Body.
“Until these issues are addressed and meaningful consultations are held with PEFMA, fan manufacturers will not participate in any fan replacement program initiated by NEECA or any other related scheme,” the Association said urging NEECA to take its concerns seriously and engage with PEFMA at the earliest to find a workable and unified regulatory framework. Ends