EER refers to Energy Efficiency Ratio, which is a test that reflects the performance of lighting products in terms of service life, lumen maintenance, switching cycles, start-up time, colour rendering index and power factor.
SASO, the competent Saudi Arabia authority, has issued an official document stating that from 1 May 2017, the import of lighting products into Saudi Arabia will be banned if they have not obtained a SASO Energy Efficiency Registration Certificate. All lighting products within the scope of control will be checked by customs for energy efficiency certification and qualified energy efficiency labels when they are transported to customs. Lighting products that are not certified or labelled as energy efficient will not be allowed to enter the Saudi Arabia market.
Scope of EER certification
The current EER certification standards required by the Saudi Arabia market are divided into three categories, SASO 2870: 2018, SASO 2902: 2018 and SASO 2927: 2019. These three standards are all energy efficiency standards, but the scope of control of the products is different. SASO 2870 controls light sources, while SASO 2902 controls luminaires and SASO 2927 controls street lighting.
The scope of products controlled by SASO 2870: directional and non-directional incandescent bulbs, self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamps, halogen bulbs, LED bulbs (incandescent replacement), LED bulbs (halogen replacement) for general household or similar applications with a luminous flux between 60 and 12,000 lumens. The Saudi standard SASO -2870: 2015 became mandatory on 1 May 2016. On 8 June 2018, SASO issued Resolution No. 164, which updates the energy efficiency label style for lighting products, amending it to SASO 2870: 2018.
The scope of products controlled by SASO 2902: similar products outside the scope of SASO 2870, i.e. similar products with a luminous flux greater than or equal to 12000 Lm, non-integrated compact fluorescent lamps, ordinary fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, directional and non-directional integrated luminaires, control devices (ballasts) for lamps.
The product range controlled by SASO 2927: LED street lamps, high pressure discharge lamps, control units for street lamps. The products that were originally within the scope of SASO 2902 are now covered by SASO 2927 and the application criteria for street lamps will be changed to SASO 2927 as of 15 February 2020. Already applied street lamps need to be updated with SASO 2927 by June 1, 2020.
SASO 2870 and SASO 2902 already cover most lighting products, but there are still some products that can enjoy energy efficiency certification exemptions, mainly including solar street lights, traffic signals, emergency lights, LED display lights and other lights whose main purpose is not lighting.
EER certification process
EER certification includes two aspects: energy efficiency testing and energy efficiency registration. The 6,000-hour service life test in the energy efficiency test requires a long test cycle. If the 6,000-hour test is completed, it will take 250 days even if the test is conducted day and night. Based on this consideration, the applicant can provide a test declaration issued by a third-party organisation recognised by Saudi Arabia, stating the expected completion time of this test and guaranteeing that the test report will be provided to the Saudi side within 15 days of the completion of the test, and Saudi Arabia will allow the EER registration certificate to be issued first.
The testing and registration process of the above 3 standards is basically the same, mainly because the test data requirements under different control categories are not the same. Taking SASO 2870: 2018 standard as an example, the most common LED bulb in daily life is used as a sample, SASO 2870: 2018 covers the requirements for energy efficiency, functionality, markings, hazardous chemicals and energy efficiency labelling for all lighting products within its scope.
Ordinary LED bulbs, which generally emit light at an angle greater than 60 degrees, are indirect light sources. The main functional tests include product energy efficiency survival factor, lumen maintenance, switching cycles, start-up time, premature failure rate, colour rendering index, colour consistency and power factor. In order to test the switch service life of the samples, the switch operation cycle should follow a 1 minute on and 3 minute off cycle. The same switching cycle should also be followed for other tests such as operating life, energy efficiency survival, premature failure rate etc. The specific test criteria are as follows.
For the inspection of test sample markings, the sample should be printed with non-removable ink with information such as brand, power rating, input voltage and origin country. This information needs to be clearly marked in English (and/or) Arabic on the label, outer packaging, instruction manual and website. In addition, the type of light source (indirect), lamp holder, luminous flux, service life, colour temperature, chemical content, etc. need to be clearly marked with a textual or pictorial symbol.
The SASO 2870 standard also requires testing for hazardous chemicals (RoHS) and contains substances such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and mercury, the maximum content limits of which are set out in the standard below.
After the EER test is completed, a third party organisation needs to be commissioned to register the EER, submit the information for review and registration, or the applicant can also apply and register their products on the official website by themselves.
Submission of materials:
Applicant's SASO account number and password
Energy Efficiency Test Report
RoHS environmental report
Label information, product package photo, logo
Applicant's basic information (contact person, address, email, phone, etc.)
Process: Fill in the application form → Submit the report → Receive the invoice for payment → SASO audit → EER label and certificate application is successful
Points to note：
EER test report cycle: 7 working days
EER label registration cycle: 8-12 working days
Certificate validity: 1 year (specific date marked on the certificate)
Test reports for EER label registration must be within two years, otherwise they are invalid
EER Label
SASO2870 energy efficiency is divided into 7 grades, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. From A (highest efficiency) to G (lowest efficiency), different EEI (energy efficiency index) corresponds to different grades of marking. EEI values are calculated by a special formula:
EEI = Pcor / Pref
After successful energy efficiency registration, the label will be automatically published on the SASO website. resolution No. 164, issued by SASO on 8 June 2018, specifies the energy efficiency label style. SASO 2870 energy efficiency label requirements: the standard label print size requires a width of 43mm and a height of 75mm. If the label size reaches more than 70% of the maximum surface area, then a modified label (43mm wide and 45mm high) can be used. The label is printed directly on the surface of the individual packaging, in a position that is clearly visible to the consumer, and should be fixed and non-removable. The QR code can be scanned by the consumer to reveal the brand, model, issue date, license, etc.
Currently most lamps, except those whose main purpose is not lighting, must be imported into Saudi Arabia with an EER certificate and label. All lighting products within the scope of control will be checked by Saudi import customs to see if the lighting product is EER certified and if it has a qualified energy efficiency label. Products that do not meet the requirements, will be prohibited in the customs clearance process and not allowed entry into the local Saudi market. Saudi buyers therefore need to pay particular attention to whether your imported goods have passed the EER test and have a qualified and visible EER label printed on the surface of the product packaging.
While EER testing and registration is done by the manufacturer's application, customers should also know the testing and certification required for the products they are importing, and the associated certification process, which can help them better identify quality, compliant products from the manufacturer's side.