Standards and Labelling Programme

The Standards and Labelling programme intends to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy saving and thereby the cost saving potential of the relevant marketed product.

• The main provision of Energy Conservation Act on Standards and Labelling programme are to: • Evolve minimum energy consumption and performance standards for notified equipment and appliances; • Prohibit manufacture, sale and import of such equipment which does not conform to the standards; • Introduce a mandatory labelling scheme for notified equipment or appliances to enable consumers to make informed choices; • Disseminate information on the benefits to consumers. The scheme aims at providing information on energy performance of appliances based on the standards issued by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

The key activities under the programme include: • Situation analysis • Testing procedures and protocol • Labelling program should precede standards program • Minimum energy consumption and Performance Standards

• Greater awareness needed especially in rural areas • Unorganized market for several appliances • Aggregation of baseline data • Sustainable and robust model for monitoring and verification • Incentive based promotion for manufacturers apart from market based promotion

The scheme was launched in 2006 to enable the consumers make informed decisions while purchasing appliances. The star rating ranges from 1 to 5 in the increasing order of energy efficiency. The scheme is currently invoked for the following 12 equipment/appliances, out of which the first 4 have been notified under mandatory labelling from January 7, 2010. • Air conditioners • Tube lights • Frost free refrigerators • Distribution transformers • Induction motors • Direct cool refrigerator • Geysers • Ceiling fans • Color televisions • Agricultural pump sets • LPG stoves and • Washing machines The other appliances are presently under voluntary labelling phase.