It’s now become commonplace for a housing society to go green by adopting environmentally friendly measures, and in an effort to continue the same, you can opt for BEE Star Rated appliances. BEE Star Rating – you would probably have seen this on your refrigrator or on the home appliances in a shop. This is a rating that was adapted from Energy Star concept introduced in the US – initially applied to computers and monitors, but later expanded to include home appliances, electronic items, even homes. With every housing society trying to find ways to cut energy costs and go green, BEE Star Rating assumes a very important role.  

A Little Bit of History – Energy Star

Energy Star was first designed by the US Environment Protection Agency back in 1992. The EPA was concerned about the increase in the number of power hungry appliances resulting in more power usage.

An increase in energy consumption puts more demand on the power plant that supplies the electricity. Many power plants burn fossil fuels like coal to generate power. This produces carbon-dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

What Products Come Under Energy Star Standards

Energy Star started out as a US standard, but was quickly adopted throughout the world. Most energy rating systems around the world are built on the Energy Star Model. The first product that this rating was applied to was computer monitors. Monitors, especially the old CRTs were the main power guzzlers in a computer system. Energy Star compliant monitors went into sleep mode when not used over a few minutes, reducing power consumption. Later, the EPA partnered with the US Department of Electricity to include more products. Energy Star now applies to diverse products like computers, heaters, air conditioners, lights, electronic products and even homes.

The Benefits of Using Energy Star Rated Appliances

The Energy Star label on a Home Appliance means that it uses less energy. This not only benefits the environment, it also cuts cost for the people who use them. Using Energy Star compliant home appliances results in significantly reduced energy costs.

Refrigerators, water-heaters, air-conditioners and other such products form a major part of power usage in a household. With Energy Star compliance, these products will naturally be more efficient in their energy usage, bringing down electricity costs. This may not seem like much in a small scale, but over a period of time, it can make a difference.

Reducing energy costs while at the same time helping the environment is a great feel good combination. So the next time you shop for a product or another housing society resident does, you should first look for its energy usage ratings.

Energy Star in India

In May 2006, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, which functions under the Ministry of Power, launched a standards and labeling program for home appliances. Manufacturers of home appliances could choose to affix BEE Star Labels to guide consumers while buying an appliance.

This label can indicate the level of energy consumption of the device in two ways. It can give absolute values stating, on an average, the number of electrical units that would be used by the appliance. It can also use the star rating system. The star ratings range from one to five. The more number of stars, the more energy efficient the appliance is.

BEE Labels indicate a higher efficiency of functioning in the devices you buy. You will end up buying quality products that function well, while saving on electricity costs.

How Housing Society Members Can Help

Cutting back on power consumption helps reduce the need for society on costs such as DG Sets and associated fuel costs. But that need not necessarily mean to cut back on your comforts. That is where BEE Star Ratings comes in. Since this rating asks the manufacturers to build energy efficient measures into their products, residents in your housing society can buy BEE Star rated appliances for their homes and indirectly contribute to energy conservation. This initiative can be taken up the housing society association, which can organize a campaign to bring about the required changes. Although the housing society association can’t force residents to buy energy efficient appliances, spreading awareness can help the cause.

So the next time you buy a home appliance, you can try buying a star rated one and in this way save your money and also save the environment.

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This article aims at collating and providing information for benefit of ApnaComplex customers and blog readers. While ApnaComplex has taken every care to ensure the information is accurate, we suggest to please use it only as a guidance for further discussion and action with help of relevant professionals.

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