AC Manufacturers Get Respite as QCO
Norms Relaxed for Import of Hermetic Compressors Till
March 2027
·
The Central Government has issued the Air
Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic Compressor and Temperature Sensing
Controls (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2026 under the Bureau of Indian
Standards Act, 2016.
·
The amendment modifies the existing 2019 Quality
Control Order (QCO) for air conditioners, compressors and related components.
·
The new provisions exempt specified hermetic
compressors imported by manufacturers for their own manufacturing purposes from
QCO requirements up to 31 March 2027.
·
The relaxation applies only to manufacturers of
air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment and related parts.
·
Import limits are linked to the quantity imported
during FY 202425.
Import
Relaxation Limits
·
Reciprocating hermetic compressors below 2 TR
capacity for refrigerators and similar appliances:
o
Permitted up to 40% of FY 202425 import quantity.
·
Rotary hermetic compressors below 2 TR capacity for
air conditioners and heat pumps:
o
Permitted up to 30% of FY 202425 import quantity.
·
Scroll and rotary hermetic compressors of 2 TR and
above for refrigeration, AC and heat pump applications:
o
Permitted up to 90% of FY 202425 import quantity.
·
Rotary hermetic compressors of 2 TR and above for
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) air-conditioning systems:
o
Permitted up to 100% of FY 202425 import quantity.
Compliance Requirements
·
Manufacturers must maintain monthly records of
imported goods covered under the exemption.
·
The records must be submitted to the concerned
authorities on company letterhead and signed by an authorised
signatory.
·
Companies are also required to submit an
indigenisation plan for these goods to the Central Government.
·
The amendment comes into force immediately from the
date of publication in the Official Gazette.
[DPIIT Order S.O. 2324(E) dated 08
May, 2026]
S.O. 2324(E). In exercise of the powers
conferred by sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 16 read with sub- section (3)
of section 25 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016), the
Central Government is of the opinion that it is necessary so to do in the
public interest and after consulting the Bureau, hereby makes the following
Order further to amend the Air Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic
Compressor and Temperature Sensing Controls (Quality Control) Order, 2019,
namely:
1. (1) This Order may be called the Air
Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic Compressor and Temperature Sensing
Controls (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2026.
(2) It shall come into force from the
date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In the Air Conditioner and its
related Parts, Hermetic Compressor and
Temperature Sensing Controls (Quality Control) Order, 2019, in paragraph 2,
after the eighth proviso, the following provisos
shall be inserted, namely:
Provided also that this
Order shall not apply to Goods or articles specified in column (1) of the TABLE
below, imported by a manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration
equipment and related parts for the purposes of its own manufacturing, up to 31st
March, 2027, to the volume specified in column (2) of the said TABLE, from the
date of publication of the Air Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic
Compressor and Temperature Sensing Controls (Quality Control) Amendment Order,
2026, namely:
Table
|
Goods or articles |
Financial Year 2026-27 |
|
(1) |
(2) |
|
Reciprocating hermetic
compressors of fixed speed and variable speed (inverter), of rated capacity
less than two tons of refrigeration, intended for use in refrigerators and
similar refrigeration appliances. |
Up to 40 per cent. of the
total quantity of goods or articles imported during the financial year
202425. |
|
Rotary hermetic compressors
of fixed speed and variable speed (inverter), of rated capacity less than two
tons of refrigeration, intended for use in air conditioners and heat pump
applications. |
Up to 30 per cent. of the
total quantity of goods or articles imported during the financial year
202425. |
|
Scroll and rotary hermetic
compressors of fixed speed and variable speed (inverter) having a rated
capacity of two tons of refrigeration and above, intended for use in
refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump applications. |
Up to 90 per cent. of the
total quantity of goods or articles imported during the financial year
202425. |
|
Rotary hermetic compressor
of rated capacity two tons of refrigeration and above for variable
refrigerant flow air conditioning system. |
Up to 100 per cent. of the
total quantity of goods or articles imported during the financial year
202425. |
Note: - The manufacturer shall
maintain monthly record of Goods or articles specified in column (1) of the
TABLE and furnish the same to the authorities concerned in their letter head
signed by its authorised signatory and shall also
submit a plan for indigenisation of Goods or articles to the Central
Government.
[F. No. P-29014/63/2017-LEI]