Direct cool refrigerators, geysers and colour televisions will be next in the list of appliances for which energy efficiency labelling is to be made mandatory by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a body under the Union Ministry of Power.
These three are among 10 appliances for which energy efficiency rating norms, denoted by stars, are voluntary. More stars meant more energy efficiency. Such labelling is mandatory for air-conditioners, frost-free refrigerators, distribution transformers and tubular fluorescent lights.
To queries from presspersons at a meeting here on Wednesday, BEE Energy Economist S. P. Garnaik said though the equipment, with higher energy efficient star rating, cost more, the consumer stood to gain by way of reduced electricity consumption. In the case of split ACs, the payback period is between 2 years and 2.5 years.
Public awareness
The meeting was part of the efforts to create public awareness of BEE's upgraded requirements for star rating of split type room ACs. A release said that the regulation came into effect in January and raised the energy efficiency standards by about 8 per cent for split ACs for the same rating band.
Mr. Garnaik added that during such upgrade of the norms, the model with the lowest star rating, single in the case of split ACs, got phased out. On the benefits of energy labelling, he said in the last five years, the country avoided a generation capacity of 7,000 MW.
The BEE had sought amendments making it mandatory for manufacturers to recall the products after the tests fail.
