NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Power has launched an ambitious program to encourage the deployment of Energy Efficient chiller systems in the country here today.
The Chiller Star Labelling Program has been formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The program envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the program is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid upto 31st December 2020.
Launching, this key program, A.K. Bhalla, Secretary, Power, emphasised the need to improve energy efficiency in space and process cooling sector, considering the occasion of 24th World Ozone Day and the 31st Anniversary of Montreal Protocol, which will be observed on 16th September 2018.
“This initiative will promote advancement technology for central HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and will also facilitate energy efficient solutions for the large commercial and industrial applications”, Bhalla added.
Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of buildings and for industrial process cooling applications. The size of Indian chiller market which stood at 1 Million Tonne per year at 2017, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent fuelled by a growth in the retail, hospitality and infrastructure projects. Chillers, being energy intensive system, contribute more than 40 per cent of the total energy consumption in commercial buildings. Therefore, it is important to optimize energy performance of chillers and create awareness amongst the end users to adopt transition towards energy efficient chillers.
BEE has developed an online registration platform for easy and expeditious approval under this initiative. The manufacturers will be able to register online for availing appropriate star rating of chiller equipment. Based on the test certificate from designated agencies and after due verification from BEE, the star label (1 to 5) will be awarded, with 5 star being the most efficient chillers.
Through Chiller star labelling Program, it is estimated that more than 500 million units of electricity would be saved in 2019 along with Green House Gases (GHG) reduction of 0.5 million-ton equivalent of CO2. It is also anticipated to save more than 4 Billion units of electricity in the year 2030 with CO2 emission reduction of 3.5 million ton through this program.
The chiller manufacturers, Air Conditioner association and testing labs also endorsed and appreciated this flagship program. The program was attended by senior officials from CEA, BIS, CPRI, MoP, MoEFCC, technical partners, air conditioning manufacturers, RAMA and other key stakeholders.