Atomberg awaits new star rating in fans from 2020

Energy-efficient ceiling fan market will become vibrant once the new 5-star energy efficiency rating gets more stringent from 2020, Mumbai-based Atomberg Technologies on Thursday said.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was contemplating to change the 5-star rating for fans which will consume a maximum of 35 watts of power in place of the current norm of 50 watts from that year, the company said.

"Existing motor technology will not be able to cut power consumption to 35 watts. This is possible only with BLDC motor technology," Atomberg co-founder and IIT Bombay alumnus Manoj Meena told PTI.

Atomberg, with its range of smart energy-efficient fans, said it will expand to 30 more cities within a year to raise its footprint to 45 cities.

"Our fans consume only 28 watts of power with high air delivery. We are looking ahead for the Energy Efficiency Services Ltd procurement meeting the new 5 star rating norms," Meena said.

The company was now working on narrowing the price gap between fans using the Brushless DC Motor (BLDC) and the traditional one to make it attractive to the consumer, the Atomberg CEO said.

"Currently, our entry-level fans cost Rs 3000. But we are trying to bring it down to Rs 2,500 with cost optimisation in technology, distribution and scale of production," he said.

Meena said they will have regional manufacturing bases in association with local partners to stay close to the market and bring down the cost.

Currently, the startup has a single manufacturing site in Mumbai.

The start-up said it will introduce at least one more consumer product with BLDC motor technology in a year.

It has concluded USD 10 million early this month in the latest round of funding and work on mixer grinder and room coolers are already underway.