Cutting-edge lab set up in Belarus to evaluate energy efficiency of household appliances

MINSK (BelTA) – As part of the relevant European Union project a lab has been set up in Belarus to evaluate energy efficiency of household appliances. The lab boasts the most contemporary equipment and technologies in the Commonwealth of Independent States, BelTA learned from Chairman of the State Standardization Committee of Belarus Viktor Nazarenko on 27 July.

The official noted that Belarus had received about €4 million worth of testing equipment alone. A total of €9 million has been appropriated for acquiring components of the lab. “The country has received the most serious kind of equipment. The most contemporary lab in the CIS in the area of energy efficiency has been created,” said the Chairman of the State Standardization Committee.

The lab has been set up at premises of the Belarusian State Institute of Standardization and Certification (BelGISS). It is a universal lab. It can evaluate the majority of consumer-grade electrical products such as refrigerators, TV sets, electric motors, air conditioners, and so on.

Since the project began, as many as 16 testing labs that match the highest European technical standards have been created. Apart from that, seminars covering energy-efficient consumer goods have been arranged for consumer rights protection organizations. Over 500 people have been trained in leading institutions and labs of the European Union.

According to Viktor Nazarenko, it is also important that Belarusian and European specialists have worked out an entire stratum of standards, which are harmonized with European Union laws. The assimilation of these standards will allow increasing the export potential of Belarusian products and protecting the domestic market from products, which energy effectiveness is below what their label says.

In turn, Head of the European Union Delegation to Belarus Andrea Wiktorin remarked that the implementation of the European Union's energy efficiency project in Belarus can be an example of effective cooperation. She remarked that the results that had been reached would facilitate further interaction in various areas, for instance, environmental protection.

The European Union's project to support Belarus in the area of energy efficiency of consumer goods and industrial goods was implemented in 2013-2016. It contributed to raising the competitive ability of the Belarusian economy and improving its energy efficiency. The main results of the project were presented during the conference in Minsk. Final recommendations were determined.