The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has launched energy labelling for refrigerators, tubular fluorescent lamps and air-conditioners.

The schedule of products to be targetted next include: compact fluorescent lamps, general purpose electric motors, ceiling fans,and ballasts for fluorescent lamps, to be followed by geysers, gas stoves etc.

India is in the midst of an energy crisis resulting from booming economic growth that has led to rapid growth in the use of energy. The rate of economic development of a country is directly linked with the supply of energy. An affordable, reliable supply of energy is vital for continued economic expansion, yet the cost of new supply facilities is staggering. If energy supply capacities are expanded without promoting more efficient use of energy, the amount of capital invested will eclipse the economic growth it seeks to sustain. The simplest way out of this development challenge is to use energy more efficiently. “ Energy conserved is energy produced, ” is the slogan used the world over to raise public awareness about the importance of efficient use of energy. Electricity conservation measures are often cheaper than building new power plants. Using more efficient lights and appliances, agricultural and industrial motors, better insulation etc., can significantly reduce the energy supply needed. Across the world, people have grown conscious of the demand versus supply equation and are finding new ways to use energy judiciously.

Energy labels (or more explicitly called energy-efficiency labels) are informative labels affixed to manufactured products to indicate the product's energy performance (usually in the form of relative rankings of energy performance, energy parameters that indicate quantitatively how much energy is consumed or the energy efficiency rating of that product and/or, other related requirements). Energy labels can stand-alone or complement energy standards.

Energy-standards are procedures and regulation that prescribe limits on the energy consumption (or minimum levels of the energy efficiency) of manufactured products. These measurements are based on prescribed test protocols/procedures that ensure accurate and consistent estimates of the energy performance. Throughout the world, standardisation has been used as an effective tool for tackling energy problems. The following criteria are generally taken into account before stipulating energy conservation requirements:

Without a credible energy label, a consumer looking at an appliance has no idea whether a product saves energy or is an energy guzzler. The energy efficiency of an appliance is usually hidden from the naked eye, and invariably not known to the user. However, energy consumption determines the operating cost of most appliances and is therefore of concern to the consumer and his pocket. Consumers are sometimes aware of some basic details, such as wattage and act on that information, but wattage alone is no substitute for the information that an energy label provides, like lumens/watt of a lamp or the energy efficiency ratio (EER) of an air conditioner.

Like other energy efficiency programs, energy labeling aims to shift markets for energy-using products and appliances toward greater energy efficiency. Energy labelling programmers help consumers to understand which products are most efficient and hopefully influence them to choose more efficient products. At the same time, they create competition among manufacturers to produce and market the most energy-efficient models and thus promote efficiency.

Energy labelling is generally linked with the performance and safety parameters as prescribed in the national standards, and products qualified for the energy labeling are first supposed to meet these requirements, thus linking energy efficiency and high-quality performance.
Energy labelling is generally linked with the performance and safety parameters as prescribed in the national standards, and products qualified for the energy labeling are first supposed to meet these requirements, thus linking energy efficiency and high-quality performance.

Broadly speaking, there are two distinct types of energy labels in use around the world, namely ‘Endorsement Labels' and ‘Comparison Labels'.

Endorsement labels are a seal of approval indicating that products meet certain specified criteria. Typically, they are applied to the top-tier of energy-efficient products in the market. An example of an endorsement label for energy efficiency is the U.S. ENERGY STAR label (energystar.gov) initiated in 1992. During the past decade, a number of endorsement labels have been developed and implemented in developing countries. China initiated an energy-efficient endorsement-labeling program in 1998 (see www.clasponline.org for additional examples of endorsement labels around the world).

Comparison labels show the relative energy use of a product compared to other models available on the market. There are three subcategories of comparative labels:

Categorical labels use a step-ranking system to indicate relative energy use compared to other models in the market. This type of labelling is being followed in EU, Thailand, Iran, Korea, and India etc. A few countries, like Australia, have initiated half-step ranking, thus effectively doubling the number of qualifying categories.

Continuous labels use a bar graph or scale to show the range of models available in the market. This scale allows consumers to see where the labelled unit fits into the full range of similar models. This type of label is used in USA and Canada.

Information-only labels (as in the Philippines) give data on the technical performance of the labelled product but offers no simple way (such as a ranking system) to compare energy performance among products.
Benefits of energy labels for consumers
Energy-performance improvements in any consumer products are an essential element in any energy-efficiency policies and climate change-mitigation programs. When designed and implemented well, their advantages are that:

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was established in India on 1 March 2002, under the Energy Conservation Act (EC) 2001, and is responsible for spearheading the improvement of energy efficiency in the economy through various regulatory and promotional instruments. As one of its objectives for promoting energy conservation, BEE has devised a labeling system, similar in appearance to the Australian Categorical (comparison ) label.

The BEE label has a rectangular base with a semi-circle or ‘dial' across the top. The BEE energy efficiency label has 5 stars on the dial with numbering 1 to 5 with an indicator that shows what star rating a particular product has earned (1 star for least energy efficient up to 5 star for most energy efficient). The dial resembles a speedometer or gauge. The further advanced the gauge indicator is, the greater the number of stars that product has and thus the better it is in terms of energy efficiency The label also specifies the energy consumption of the appliance under standard test conditions.

The manufacturers of appliances are empowered to test their appliances and affix labels based on the agreed categorical star-rating plan in the prescribed label format. BEE verifies the veracity of the labels and their levels through check testing and challenge testing in assigned NABL accredited laboratories. If the test results are not consistent with the declared star rating on the label, BEE informs the concerned manufacturer. The manufacturer has an option to go in for a second verification testing. In this case, the sample size is twice the number of the first test and all the samples should pass the test.

If the appliance fails the second verification test, the concerned manufacturer has the option to: i) correct the label level or remove defects or deficiencies found; or ii) change particulars/information on the advertisement material and the label. In addition to the check tests carried by BEE, consumers, through consumer associations, or any manufacturer or any person can challenge the star-rating label. In this case, the BEE Implementation Committee would look into the history of verification test results and see if it is a fit case for taking up the challenge. If the manufacturer fails to comply with the directions of BEE, then the use of the label for that model is prohibited, and wide publicity about the failure can be made in the press. In addition the manufacturer would be debarred from participating in public tenders.

Energy efficiency standards and labelling for refrigerators in India was implemented initially, as a pilot project, for frost-free refrigerators, keeping in view the growing market share of this category. For refrigerators, comparative labelling was considered and implemented (and not endorsement labeling) keeping in view of the wide range of energy consumption of different brands. The energy label affixed to refrigerators includes information on brand, model, T=type, gross & storage volume as well as the standard test method used for arriving at average annual energy consumption as marked on the centre of the energy label.

Due to the encouraging response from manufacturers, most of the brands manufactured in India are covered under the energy-labelling scheme of BEE. Energy labelling for the direct-cool category of refrigerators has also been implemented. This extends the star label to the product category (direct-cool refrigerators) that presently has the major market share. Since refrigerators remain switched-on throughout the year, the nominal consumption and star rating has been calculated based on the annual electricity consumption.