Topics Covered:
- Conservation related issues.
BEE Star Ratings
What to study?
For Prelims and Mains: BEE, start ratings and significance, different types.
Context: The Ministry of Power has announced that two more electrical appliances microwave ovens and washing machines will now be assigned star ratings based on their energy efficiency metrics.
The programme of star rating of Microwave Ovens and Washing Machines will be implemented on a voluntary basis and will be valid up to December 31, 2020.
What is BEE Star Rating?
Star ratings are provided to all the major kind of appliances in the form of labels. These star ratings are given out of 5 and they provide a basic sense of how energy efficient each product is, just in a single glance.
The manufacturers are officially required to put these labels as per the Standards and Labelling Program introduced in 2006.
Why do they put these BEE Star Rating labels?
The prime importance of these Star Ratings is to educate and inform consumers about how energy efficient each product is. This also makes the manufacturer responsible for creating products which are highly energy efficient as consumers may eventually prefer better rated products.
How do they decide the BEE Star Ratings?
- One of the most common myths about the BEE Star Rating is that it is solely based on the appliance’s power consumption. A lot of factors contribute into formulating the final star rating on the product.
- Although the manufacturers rate and label the product, BEE sets all the standards and norms which need to be followed while rating an appliance. While some category of appliances necessarily have to be given a star rating, for others it’s optional.
- Appliances which need to have an energy rating label mandatorily: Frost-free refrigerator, Tubular Fluorescent Lamps, Room Air-Conditioners, Distribution Transformer, Colour TV, CST AC, Direct Cool Refrigerator and Electric Geyser.
- The appliances with the lowest energy consumption in a product category are given the most stars and those with the highest energy consumption are given the least.
There are two variants of these labels, a big one and a smaller version:
- Big label:
The big energy rating label is aimed at appliances which have a constant usage and consume more electricity. These labels show additional information such as the yearly energy consumption of the product, brand name, product category and much more. For consumers, this big label is helpful as it allows you to calculate the actual money you would spend in electricity bills for that particular product.
Products with a big label: Refrigerators, air-conditioners, geysers and washing machines.
- Small Label:
Small labels can be found in appliances which usually don’t consume more energy. These labels just give you a visual representation of the energy consumption levels by showing star ratings.
Products with a small label: Ceiling fans, tube lights, computers/laptops and televisions.
Facts for Prelims:
Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a statutory body set up under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency assists the government in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
Sources: the hindu.
