Air con firms including Hitachi overstate performance of Hong Kong units, Consumer Council testing reveals
- 85 per cent of products had lower cooling capacity than advertised, according to study
- Japanese company gives cold response to city watchdog’s findings
The vast majority of air conditioners tested in Hong Kong have failed to live up to manufacturers’ promises over performance, according to the city’s consumer watchdog.
The Consumer Council examined 14 window air conditioners and found the cooling capacity of 12 was lower than the claimed value by between 0.9 and 3.2 per cent.
Nora Tam Fung-yee, the council’s research and testing committee chairwoman, said the information should be more precise, despite the discrepancies falling within the code of practice’s 10 per cent limit for the energy labelling of products and in line with international practices.
“The council stressed it is a basic right of consumers to obtain accurate information and that since the cooling capacity of air conditioners is such vital product information, manufacturers should do their utmost to ensure its accuracy,” Tam said.
The study found that one product, RA-18MDF from Hitachi, tagged with a grade one energy label – a level indicating the product was among the most energy efficient in the market – only met the grade two rating.