BEE- Star Rating Programme

• 03 Mar 2020

Why in News

To commemorate its 19^th foundation day, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power organized a Stakeholder Consultation to develop a vision towards building an energy efficient India.

Key Points

• On this occasion, BEE expanded the coverage of its star labelling programme by including energy efficient Deep freezer and Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC).
  
  • With this inclusion BEE will cover 26 appliances.
  • Deep freezer and Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC) are major energy guzzlers in commercial space.
  • The program will be initially launched in voluntary mode from 2^nd March, 2020 to 31^st December, 2021. Thereafter, it will be made mandatory after reviewing the degree of market transformation in this particular segment of appliances.
  • Through this initiative, it is expected to save around 2.8 Billion Units by FY2030, which is equivalent to GreenHouse Gas (GHG) reduction of 2.4-million-ton Carbon Dioxide.
• The Star Labeling Programme has been formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• During the event, a database on energy efficiency named Urja Dakshata Information Tool (UDIT) was also launched. This initiative has been taken by the BEE with the World Resources Institute (WRI).
  
  • It is a user-friendly platform that explains the energy efficiency landscape of India across industry, appliances, building, transport, municipal and agriculture sectors.
  • It will also showcase the capacity building and new initiatives taken up by the Government across the sectors in the increase energy efficiency domain.

Energy Efficiency in India

• Transition: India’s energy sector is set for a transition with recent developmental ambitions of the Government e.g. 175 GW of installed capacity of renewable energy by 2022, 24X7 Power for all, Housing for all by 2022, 100 smart cities mission, promotion of e- mobility, electrification of railway sector, 100% electrification of households, Solarization of agricultural pump sets, and promotion of clean cooking.
• Potential of Energy Efficiency: Energy Efficiency has the maximum GreenHouse Gas (GHG) abatement potential of around 51% followed by renewables (32%), biofuels (1%), nuclear (8%), carbon capture and storage (8%) as per the World Energy Outlook (WEO 2010). World Energy Outlook (WEO) is the flagship publication of the International Energy Agency.
  
  • India can avoid building 300 GW of new power generation up to 2040 with implementation of ambitious energy efficiency policies.
• Positives: Successful implementation of Energy Efficiency Measures contributed to electricity savings of 7.14% of total electricity consumption of the country and emission reduction of 108.28 million tonnes of CO2 during 2017-18.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency

• The Government of India set up Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). on 1^st March 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.
• BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations and recognize, identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.

The Standards & Labeling Programme

• The Standards & Labeling Programme is one of the major thrust areas of BEE.
• A key objective of this scheme is to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy saving and thereby the cost saving potential of the relevant marketed product.
• The scheme targets display of energy performance labels on high energy end use equipment & appliances and lays down minimum energy performance standards.

Source: PIB