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New ceiling fans will soon churn out more air for less electricity as the Bureau of Energy Efficiency will set energy efficiency standards for the ubiquitous appliance.
The Central Government agency under the Ministry of Power is set to launch the Super Energy Efficient Products programme that will push for 30-50 per cent more efficient electrical appliances. The programme will cover fans and LED lights.
According to an energy economist in the Bureau, Mr S.P. Garnaik, the technology is available and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, is working on appropriate systems for the market. The objective is to replace a typical 70-watt fan covering a 12-cubic-m area with a 35-watt unit.
After high-end products such as split air conditioners, where significant gains have been achieved, the Bureau is looking at common items.
revison every 2 years
In split air conditioners for home use, standards have been hiked from January for energy efficiency rating of one to five stars. What was five-star standard last year will now qualify for four-star only and so on down the line. The lowest standard, a single-star unit, lost its rating and has been phased out of the market. The efficiency bar will be hiked every two years, he said.
Energy efficiency is measured as a co-efficient of performance, an indication of cooling capacity in watts for every watt of energy used. Last year the lowest range was 2.3 to 2.49 and the highest 3.1. This year, these have moved up to 2.5-2.69 at the lowest and 3.3 at the top end. In two years, they will be 2.7-2.89 and 3.5.
Though greater energy efficiency means more the expense for the buyer, there are benefits, he said. A five-star unit can cost over Rs 7,000-8,000 more than a single-star unit. But the consumer recovers the cost through lower power consumption.
In the last five years, over 7,766 MW of power generation capacity has been saved from the range of electrical items brought under star-rating. As the efficiency bar is hiked, the next five years will save more than 2,300 MW, he said.
Mr Garnaik was addressing reporters at the launch of a mobile phone application developed Emerson Climate Technologies, a company in air conditioning and heating, to assess the power saved by star rated air conditioners.
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