Everything You Should Know About BEE Star Ratings

Energy is life, so conserve it. With the growth of the economy, the demand for energy has increased substantially. Domestic appliances use the same power to operate. You must have noticed a red and yellow star mark on some of the appliances defining their power consumption.

Whether a three-star or a five-star rating, it is directly proportional to the electricity bills you receive at the end of the month. Many get surprised by these star marks and cannot decode them. Here are the details and everything that a regular consumer should know about BBE start ratings.

What is BEE and its significance?
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was set up on 1st March 2002 under the Energy Conservations Act, 2001. The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The primary objective behind institutionalizing BEE is to reduce the energy intensity of the Indian economy.

Many are unable to fathom about BEE star rating full form and how it can influence a consumer's decision. Consumers can compare different models and pick an energy-efficient variant of the same capacity. BEE co-ordinates with designated customers, designated agencies, and other organizations to recognize, identify, and utilize existing resources and infrastructure. The Energy Conservation Act, 2001 provides the promotional functions and regulations on which BEE acts upon.

Recommended Read: 5 Power-Hungry Household Appliances That Hikes Your Electricity Bills

Standards and Labelling: Concepts and Applications
BEE star rating is the most effective method to measure and compare the energy consumption of similar products and factors affecting the lifetime running costs of the purchased item. It also informs the prospective purchaser that this product is highly energy efficient for its category. Labels describe energy performance (in form of energy use, efficiency, or energy cost). BEE star label mark mainly provides information about an appliance to make consumers informed purchase decisions. There are mainly two types of labels: Comparative label Endorsement label

The Standards & Labelling Programme is one of the major thrust areas of BEE. A key objective of this scheme is to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy-saving and thereby the cost-saving potential of the relevant marketed product. The scheme targets the display of energy performance labels on high-energy end-use equipment & appliances and lays down minimum energy performance standards.

Capacity Testing:
The Bureau or its designated agency (IAME or SDA or any other agency), shall Suo moto carry out check testing of products as per the production schedule or regulation to ensure that production models meet the performance claims. The check testing of labeled products shall be conducted in a third party NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Labs) accredited laboratories. In case the sample drawn for the check testing fails, the Bureau or its designated agency shall conduct a second check testing.

Effects on Economy:
Energy efficiency standards are procedures and regulations that prescribe the energy performance of manufactured products, sometimes prohibiting the sale of products that are less efficient than a minimum level. They are considered to be the backbone of a country program for efficient energy consumption. Essentially, Standards and labeling are tools for market transformation.

The average energy performance of equipment’s in the market improves. Market "pull" and "push" are complementary market transformation strategies. Establishing minimum energy performance standards "pushes" the market by eliminating the least efficient models. Labeling “pulls" by encouraging customers to purchase higher efficiency models and "pushes" by encouraging but not mandating that manufacturers produce and market more energy-efficient models.

It has also been recognized that testing laboratories play an indispensable role in the successful implementation of a robust standard and labeling program. An assessment of the existing capabilities of the testing laboratories was imminent to gauge their prevailing infrastructure and ability to proactively support the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s (BEE) standard & labeling program.

BEE Star Rating Calculator:
More stars reflect more savings. BEE calculates star ratings on various factors but the most important is the running cost of an appliance on a regular condition (kwh). You can check your appliance power consumption rating by the BEE star rating calculator for free. It shows you the technical details of your appliance along with the ratings.

Role of Testing Lab in Standardization and Labelling:
Worldwide, the role of testing laboratories is not just to provide testing services for standard & labeling program, but it also includes their role as an important partner in various stages and activities of the program. The labs can play the following key roles to make a successful standard & labeling program:

• Testing laboratories play a significant role in check testing to ensure that the products meet the performance criteria.
• The testing laboratories as a significant guiding light in the development of realistic efficiency and performance standards.
• Testing can also contribute towards continuous evolution and up gradation towards better performance standards.
• Testing laboratories are expected to play an increasingly important role in the future with the application of the concept of round-robin testing.

BEE aims at implementing QR code in the present system of affixing star label. Star Labels on an appliance enable a Consumer to know the performance of an appliance, eventually helping a Consumer to make informed decisions on cost and energy-saving potential at the time of purchase.

Initiatives and IT Tools:
BEE aims at implementing QR code in present system of affixing star label. Star Labels on an appliance enable a Consumer to know the performance of an appliance, eventually helping a Consumer to make informed decisions on cost and energy saving potential at the time of purchase.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has developed a BEE star label app for the Standards and Labelling (S&L) program for consumers. The star label app is linked with the S&L database of BEE; thus, it provides a platform to receive real-time feedback from consumers and other stakeholders. The data in the app is updated daily.

The advantages of Standard & Labelling web portal are as under:

• Manufacturers can file their applications online.
• Easy tracking of applications filed by manufacturers.
• Reports can be downloaded easily.
• Minimizes paperwork.

To sum up all, BEE star ratings are the labels to make consumer an informed and bit responsible one who already knows how to save energy and its cost about is usability and maintenance. Appliance repair service is an area of concern for both manufacturers and customers after all sustainable use of any equipment is the need of the hour. Efficient energy consumption and sustainable development is the ultimate goal behind which BEE star rating is based on.