Sayli Udas IndianExpress, May 21, 2006. A much-awaited step for Indian consumers, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Union Ministry of Power, has devised a labelling system—a star rating format—that will rate electrical appliances on the basis of their energy efficiency.   The initiative, titled ‘A National Energy Labelling Programme’, was launched last week by Union Minister of Power Sushilkumar Shinde and promises to cut down electricity bills and make manufacturers more accountable.   ‘‘The need to use electricity wisely and make sure that consumers pay the right money for the products is why we launched this labelling system,’’ said Director General (BEE) V S Verma.   The system based on a five point rating—five stars for the most energy efficient device and one for the least—will help consumers chose their products wisely, said Verma.   To begin with, the labelling system will be initiated with frost-free refrigerators and tubelights from July 2006, followed by other electrical appliances like air-conditioners and ceiling fans in the coming months (see box).   In case of frost-free refrigerators, the more the stars, the higher the saving on electricity bills. And for tubelights, the higher the rating, the more the light output for every unit of electricity consumed.   Explaining the system—it is voluntary for manufacturers—Verma said two random samples of a product will be sent to a laboratory accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories.   The laboratory, after checking the appliances, will label them according to guidelines issued by the BEE. Thereafter, the BEE will provide an authorisation, which can be used on labels.   With over 60 stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGO), consumer organisations, laboratories, governmental agencies and manufacturers like Bajaj Electricals, Godrej & Boyce, Blue Star, Voltas, Surya Roshni, Videocon, Whirlpool and Wipro, tied up in the labelling mission, Verma hopes the process will bring standardisation and accountability to the project.   Niket Abhyankar, a research associate at Prayas, a Pune-based NGO working in the field of power and energy and also a stakeholder, said: ‘‘It is a welcome step and, if implemented, it is a good measure to enhance transparency and accountability in the system and make the consumer aware about how much power his electrical appliances use.’’   What the label will mention * Appliance name * Energy Consumption per year * Model name/number  * Year of manufacturing * Brand * Type * Gross Volume * Storage Volume  When they will be out * Frost free refrigerators—July 2006 * Fluorescent Tubelights—July 2006 * Direct Cool Refrigerators—September 2006 * General Purpose Electric Motors—October 2006 * Air Conditioners—November 2006 * Ceiling fans—December 2006