Given the arrival of winter and low temperatures, authorities called for caution in the purchase and use of these elements.
Intense inspection throughout the region was carried out by the Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels, SEC, to verify that the heating products that are being sold in commerce have their respective SEC Seal.
In the case of the Los Ríos Region, this action was led by the Energy Minister, Claudia Lopetegui, and by the director of the SEC, Osman Obreque; who visited the Isaflor store in the commune of Valdivia.
The objective of these inspections is to verify that the heating products have their SEC Seals, a label that certifies that said item has passed a series of safety tests and, therefore, have better standards in this matter.
Seremi Lopetegui explained that, with the arrival of low temperatures, the sale of stoves and heaters increases, which is why inspections are reinforced.
“This is to verify that only certified products are being purchased. For this reason, it seems important to us to reiterate to people that they buy only in established stores, where they must demand the SEC Seal, which can be on the product box or on the product itself,” he indicated.
During the year 2023, certifications for heating devices reached more than 2 million 375 thousand 049 units, the majority product being electric stoves, with more than 1 million 156 thousand certified devices, followed by bed warmers, pads, blankets and electric warmers, with 505,939; and then air conditioning equipment, which reached 323,669 units.
Regarding the actions of the SEC, during the past year 102 points of sale were inspected, verifying that, in 31 of them, 30% of the total, did not comply with the requirements of the regulations, which is why they were applied , as a whole, fines of 1,152 UTM, Monthly Tax Units, that is, 75 million 390 thousand 336 pesos.
Use tips
For his part, the director of the SEC indicated that, along with the purchase of products with the SEC Seal, citizens must become aware that the use of energy entails certain risks that we must reduce, adopting attitudes of self-care.
“In the case of kerosene and gas stoves, it is important to note that they release combustion gases into the environment, so it is recommended to ventilate the spaces to be heated from time to time, and never bring them into bathrooms or bedrooms. In the case of kerosene ones that use wicks, the advice is to turn them on and off outside, be it a patio or balconies. Furthermore, we recommend that, if a liquefied gas cylinder is used, the expiration date of the flexible, or hose as it is more widely known, and the regulator must be checked, since these have a limited useful life,” he stated.
New stamp
The supervisory body added that a new version of the SEC Seal has recently been implemented, which contains information of citizen interest, such as background on the manufacturer or importer, technical characteristics, use of the products, relevance or not of Efficiency labeling. Energy and safety warning, so the call is to scan this information, to make a better purchasing decision.
During 2022, there were around 3.5 million queries made to the SEC SEAL QR Code, and in 2023 there were around 4 million. Of these interactions, 98% were cell phone scans.
Finally, the authorities called on people to follow the official SEC accounts on Social Networks: Instagram (@sec_chile), LinkedIn (Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels – SEC), X (@SEC_cl) and SEC Superintendence (Facebook), where Citizens will be able to access useful information and safety tips for the use of energy.
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