Ceiling Fans Get Costlier As Mandatory Star Labelling Norms Come Into Force From 1 January

Ceiling fans are set to get costlier by 8 to 20 per cent as the category has been included under the ambit of mandatory star labelling from 1 January.

The star labelling norms have been formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), as part of its mandate, under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Under this programme, star rating is given to each appliance available in the market which lets the consumers make an informed choice of picking energy-efficient appliances that can help in saving energy and reducing electricity bills.

The star rating scheme covers a total of 31 different consumer products like air conditioners, fridges and ceiling fans with new appliances and devices added regularly.

Displaying star ratings are only mandatory for 12 of these products and is voluntary for the remaining 19 products.

Under the new mandate, manufacturers would have to display the star ratings between 1 and 5 on their fans — higher the energy efficiency, higher will be the ratings. The star rating is dependent on service value (air delivery in cubic metres per minute divided by power consumption in wattage).

Huge Energy Savings

The star labelling denotes energy savings ranging from a minimum of 30 per cent for one-star rated fans to over 50 per cent for five-star rated fans.

These star-rated fans are ultimately going to benefit the end consumer and save energy and reduce carbon footprint.

Cost Escalation

Though leading manufacturers such as Havells, Orient Electric and Usha International have welcomed the move, they also believe it would lead to cost increase of 5 to 20 per cent as high energy efficient five-star rated fans will require new imported motors and electronic components.

The manufacturers will incur additional costs on account of modifications required in non-star rated fans to make them more efficient and compliant with the new star ratings.

Currently, the most energy-efficient ceiling fans are those that use brushless direct current electric motors (BLDC motors), a technology that requires an electronic motor controller to drive the rotor. BLDC fans are up to 60 per cent more energy-efficient than conventional induction motor fans. 

As for the five-star fans, the cost implications will be higher at almost 20 per cent as these fans will have the newer BLDC motors vis-a-vis the older induction motors, which need electronic components and magnets, both of which are imported.