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| The market for Air Conditioners is projected to be 3.5 million units in 2012. With so many brands vying for your attention, it was imperative to come up with a standard way of comparing efficiency of AC units. The BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) hence came up with a standard way of enabling us to discern which AC we should opt for by a rating system called the STAR rating – showcased by the Power Savings Label. This label enables customers to compare the STAR rating instead of trying to compute energy consumption for a specific Tonnage of AC and hence to make an informed purchase decision. With Power Savings labels, it is today easy for us to identify and compare which AC would best suit your room size. |
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| What does the BEE do? |
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| The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE – a statutory body under the Indian Ministry of Power) initiated a labelling program for electrical home appliances in 2006. Under this standard, manufacturers could (voluntarily, prior to January 2010; but mandatorily since) affix a Power Savings label bearing a STAR rating to their appliance after a rigorous certification process. The label would indicate that they adhere to certain guidelines to ensure that their appliance is energy efficient within a certain set of parameters.
STAR ratings are directly dependant on the Energy Efficiency Ratio of an Air Conditioner. Energy Efficiency Ratio (or EER), is the relative amount of the cooling produced by an AC to the amount of power given to it to under normal operating conditions. This implies that the higher the EER, the more effective the AC is at cooling your room, and the more the number of STARS on its label. If you want to get analytical about it: Say your 1 ton AC has a rating of 3500 watts and consumes 1100 Watts of electricity. Then, its EER is 3500 Watts/1100 Watts = 2.33 W/W. |
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| What do Power Savings Labels look like? |
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| You would notice a Power Savings label sticker on each AC unit sold. This is how it would look like: | ||||
| Higher the STAR rating: | ||||
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| Solution Box: Fig: Analysis of Power Savings label | ||||
| What are STAR Ratings and why do we need them? |
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| The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE – a statutory body under the Indian Ministry of Power) initiated a labelling program for electrical home appliances in 2006. Under this standard, manufacturers could (voluntarily, prior to January 2010; but mandatorily since) affix a STAR Label to their appliance after a rigorous certification process. The label would indicate that they adhere to certain guidelines to ensure that their appliance is energy efficient within a certain set of parameters. STAR ratings are directly dependent on the Energy Efficiency Ratio of an Air Conditioner. Energy Efficiency Ratio (or EER), is the relative amount of the cooling produced by an AC to the amount of power given to it to under normal operating conditions. This implies that the higher the EER, the more effective the AC is at cooling your room, and the more the number of STARs on its label. If you want to get analytical about it: Say your 1 ton AC has a rating of 3500 watts and consumes 1100 Watts of electricity. Then, its EER is 3500 Watts/1100 Watts = 2.33 W/W. |
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| Fig 2: STAR rating on Power Savings Label | ||||
| This label shows the level of energy consumption in a clear and concise manner; the specifications of the appliance would be shown as well as a pictorial depiction of the energy efficiency. When purchasing an AC, it’s wise to select one that has the STAR label on it because such appliances begin paying for themselves the minute you have them installed and switched on. Standards for energy efficiency are set to get more stringent in the coming years. In point of fact, you will notice that ACs that was earlier rated as 5 STARs are now rated as 4 STARs and so on (STAR rating change in 2012). This translates into more savings for the owners of STAR rated appliances. Interpreting Power Savings labels is half the battle won; the other half is finding the right AC for you room size! |
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