On December 19, 2017, El Salvador's Ministry of Economy published Agreement № 1677 to approve Technical Regulation RTS 97.01.01:15. The document establishes energy efficiency standards for domestic refrigerators and freezers operated by a hermetic compressor. This technical regulation came into force on January 5, 2019.

It applies to refrigerators and fridge-freezers that have a capacity of 1104 dm3 and freezers that have a capacity of 850 dm3.

This Regulation sets test methods to determine the energy consumption of these appliances, calculate total refrigerated volume, and specify a label for energy consumption. The maximum energy limits for consumption are set in Table 1 of the foregoing RTS based on the type, system of defrosting, and volume. This technical regulation aims at reducing energy consumption by 10%. If the requirement is met, the Superior Energy Efficiency Label can be attached to the product.

A label must be affixed to the product and must be rigid and not easily removed until it is purchased by a consumer. It must also be located in a display area that is visible to a consumer.

The label must contain:

• the model of the refrigerator  
• capacity of the refrigerator  
• words ‘defrost system’ followed by the type of defrosting system used  
• words ‘energy consumption limit' (kWh/year) followed by the limit of energy consumption corresponding to the refrigerator or freezer in bold, whole numbers  
• energy saving label should be placed horizontally with a bar of increasing tones, from clear to black, indicating the percentage of energy savings from 0%-50% with 5% intervals. At the 0% mark, the label should say ‘minor savings’ and at the 50% mark should be the label 'greater savings’  
• any other important information

Label example:

The Regulation also establishes the conformity assessment procedure. Prior to customs clearance, importers must show compliance with this RTS through a mandatory Certificate of Conformity. The document is to be issued by a certification body accredited by a signatory member of the MLA (Multilateral Recognition Agreement) and the IAAC (Cooperation Inter-American Accreditation) for product certification and recognized by El Salvador’s National accreditation body (OSA).

The applicant should apply to the National Energy Council (CNE) to register the product and the application shall contain the following documents:

• policy document of origin and its official translation if necessary  
• picture or comparative matrix between the RTS and the policy document of origin to demonstrate equivalence

After receiving the request, the CNE should proceed with the evaluation. If test methods differ from those established by the CNE, an applicant should include equivalent technical support.

Importers must maintain product certification for a period of three years to make available to the market surveillance authorities and report any changes of status certification to the National Energy Council (CNE). In addition, all information and documentation necessary to demonstrate conformity of the product should be submitted if it is requested by the CNE.

The official document is available here.

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The information has been prepared by the GMA Consult Group team. ‍

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