Inverter ACs to be rated for energy efficiency

Industry sees huge opportunity for most energy efficient inverter ACs as BEE chalks out plan to incentivise energy efficient ACs and starts issuing star labeling

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has come up with ratings for air conditioners that operate on inverter technology.

Japanese AC major Daikin has bagged India’s first five-star rating under the scheme for inverter ACs. The BEE in 2010 came up with rating scheme for home appliances and consumer electronics like refrigerators, ACs and televisions. The bureau kept making the norms more stringent over the years but there were no ratings available for inverter ACs.

“Inverter ACs are the most energy efficient, consuming up to 60 per cent less electricity than a 5-star rated AC,” said Kanwaljeet Jawa, managing director, Daikin Airconditioning India.

“While 100 per cent of ACs in Japan and 85 per cent in Australia use inverter technology, in India their share is 9 per cent of the 4 million ACs sold yearly,” Jawa said. Lack of incentive schemes and star ratings were barriers to making these ACs popular, he added.

Inverter ACs adjust to outside conditions and a new scheme had to be drawn up for rating them. “This took some time, leading to a delay in the scheme for their rating,” said Saurabh Diddi, energy economist at the BEE. Although inverter ACs cost 10-15 per cent more than 5-star rated ones, the difference is usually made up in three years by lower electricity consumption.

“Since extreme temperatures (above 40 degrees Celsius) prevail for 20 to 40 hours in a year, depending on location, inverter ACs consume less electricity when conditions are not extreme,” Diddi explained. Running on a full load, inverter ACs consume at least 25 per cent less electricity. Inverter AC contribute 25-30 per cent of sales for Carrier Midea, Bluestar, Voltas and Daikin.