The Hindu Business Line : Electrical appliances to have energy efficiency labelling

A notification is expected to be issued in March 2005 empowering manufacturers to affix energy labels for household refrigerators, according to Mr V.S. Verma, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Addressing the Energy Summit 2004, a meet on energy conservation and renewable energy technology organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, which began here on Thursday, Mr Verma said preparatory work relating to standard and labelling of electrical appliances — household refrigerators, window air-conditioners, distribution transformers, fluorescent tube lights and ballasts — had been initiated.

Once the notification was issued, all manufacturers had to fix energy labels on their products. This would help consumers know how efficient a particular product was. Mr Verma said that fixing standards and labels under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, would provide a boost to manufacturing and adoption of energy efficient technologies.

He said that tests conducted on compressors bought from the market for consumption and efficiency parameters showed that the results were at variance with what the manufacturers had specified.

Inaugurating the meet, the Union Power Secretary, Mr R.V. Shahi, said that seven industrial sectors such as aluminium, fertiliser and chlor alkali had been identified for special attention under the Energy Conservation Act, as they were energy intensive.

Companies in these sectors had to employ energy managers, who would focus on the need, benefits and rationale of energy conservation measures. Most of the energy conservation measures had a pay back period of two to four years.

He said the Ministry had started on a programme of conducting energy audit in Government buildings in Delhi. This included the Rashtrapathi Bhawan, the Prime Minister's Office and the Power Ministry. The seven buildings identified for the programme consumed about Rs 600 crore of electricity a year and a 30 per cent saving would result in a saving of Rs 200 crore. The Ministry had asked the States to undertake a similar exercise.

Mr Shahi said the Ministry was also discussing with the professional body of architects to draw up a building code to construct energy efficient buildings.

The Secretary highlighted the role of energy service companies and said these companies had to explain the cost-benefit analysis of energy conservation measures and justify the expenditure involved.

Mr K. Skandan, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, said the board was conducting energy audits across various segments of high-tension consumers. It had identified 181 feeders where the transmission loss was more than 10 per cent now and hoped to bring it down to 8 per cent. He said incidence of industrial theft of power was coming down as could be seen from the drop in money recovered — it had come down from Rs 9 crore to Rs 3 crore now.