Buying a refrigerator is a big decision and one that requires a lot of attention. You need to make endless decisions, the moment you start considering one. Besides the brand, type, capacity and cooling technology, you need to also make sure to choose one that is energy efficient.
Whether you are buying a refrigerator for the first time or replacing an old one at home, you need to keep in mind that a refrigerator consumes a lot of power, working 24 hours a day. The easiest way to check the power efficiency is by looking at the power savings labels on refrigerators, which have the ISEER (star) ratings mentioned on them. In this article, we tell you about the ISEER rating standard and its importance.
What is ISEER?
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has defined an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) rating standard for home appliances including refrigerators, air conditioners, TVs and other electrical hardware. The EER rating standard in India is called as ISEER (Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), considering the extreme temperature variance through the seasons. These ratings for refrigerators are based on several performance tests conducted by BEE. Higher the number of stars, higher is the efficiency of the refrigerator.
In addition to star ratings, the power savings label also mentions the units of energy consumption per year. The ratings are annually revised, so the least-efficient refrigerators are replaced by more efficient ones. If you are curious to know how the ISEER rating for a refrigerator is calculated, check out the official BEE site.
Details on the BEE label
Every refrigerator you see has a power savings label on it. This label provides star rating details on the top, which is one of the easiest way to compare the energy-efficiency of models. Other details include energy consumption units per year, label validity period, appliance type, brand, model and year of manufacturing, etc. The BEE logo is also prominent.
Refrigerator efficiency
Most modern refrigerators use less energy than older models. The reason been improvements in compressor and cooling technologies. In refrigerators, energy saving depends on their defrosting type – Frost-free and Direct cooling. The frost-free refrigerator consumes a lot of power, since it has a heating element inside the freezer that prevents the formation of ice. In direct cooling refrigerators, the defrosting of ice must be done manually.
As frost-free refrigerators consume a significant amount of power, star ratings for them is mandatory. Hence, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has made the ISEER star ratings scheme mandatory for frost-free refrigerators, while direct cooling refrigerators fall under a voluntary scheme.
In terms of compressor technology, both, frost-free and direct cooling refrigerators come equipped with a digital inverter compressor technology. These compressors run at variable speeds, letting refrigerators maintain a constant temperature by consuming less energy for cooling. This means, the inverter compressor works at a peak capacity when the need is more and lowers the speed when there is reduced load. That’s not all – inverter compressors are durable, making less noise and have a longer life compared to conventional compressors.
Regardless, it is worth noting that higher capacity refrigerators tend to consume more power, which is why you need to check the star ratings and the presence of inverter technology in them. If you are planning to buy a refrigerator, you can also search and compare refrigerator models on BEE’s official web site. To compare price and other details, you can browse through refrigerators online on RelianceDigital.in or drop in to your nearest Reliance Digital store.
