BEE upgrades energy efficiency standards for air conditioners

NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Power, has comprehensively upgraded the energy performance standards for split type room air conditioners.

With the enforcement of new regulation, the energy efficiency standards are higher by about 8 per cent for split air-conditioners for the same rating band. The upgradation is intended to help increase consumer awareness on saving energy and creating more energy efficient appliances across the spectrum for this industry.

According to BEE, the consumer awareness and education have been instrumental in the success of energy efficiency movement. The body has also developed a mobile-phone based application called 'AC Power Saver' that enables consumers to calculate energy consumption and savings right on their mobile devices. The application will be available for Android, Blackberry and iPhone users free of charge.

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, BEE said, “Energy is critical for India, and the demand for clean and efficient energy devices is growing rapidly. We are happy that our initial steps in introducing star labeling for air-conditioners has borne such good results. It is our resolve to further augment this initiative by reaching out to as wide a section of consumers as possible and to do this we have embarked on a variety on new measures to educate and engage the public at large as well as the manufacturers and retailers.”