It is that time of the year again when the heat reaches its peak and there’s no better solution than switching on the AC. However, using your air conditioner for hours on end leads to high electricity bills, and that’s another cause for worry. Do we have to make a choice between not using the AC or running exorbitant bills? The answer is no. With energy-efficient ACs, you can keep the AC Power running without worrying about your utility bills.
You might have seen star ratings on some of the best split air conditioner or other air conditioners before, and might have wondered what it meant. Let us simplify that for you; it is a rating of how energy efficient an AC is. The rating varies between a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most energy-efficient. These ratings are given by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
The government of India established these ratings in 2002, as part of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. In the past, the star rating of AC Power worked using Energy Efficiency Ratio or EER. By definition, EER is the ratio of cooling capacity to power input. ACS with higher EER is better, as these are more energy-efficient. Thus, it is also important to know how EER is measured.
EER is measured under a specific condition, i.e; 35 degrees Celsius outdoor temperature, 27 degrees Celsius indoor temperature and 50% relative humidity.
In some countries, there’s also a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, which is used for calculating the energy efficiency of the AC Power. Since there is a seasonal variation in temperature, the amount of cooling, as well as the amount of energy required, varies from season to season.
Based on this, BEE has defined Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) for ACs as a star rating method for India from January 2018.
Here is the data for both Window ACs and Split ACs.
| Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (kWh/kWh) | Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (kWh/kWh) | |||||
| Star level | Minimum | Maximum | Star level | Minimum | Maximum | |
| 1 Star | 2.5 | 2.69 | 1 Star | 3.1 | 3.29 | |
| 2 Star | 2.7 | 2.89 | 2 Star | 3.3 | 3.49 | |
| 3 Star | 2.9 | 3.09 | 3 Star | 3.5 | 3.99 | |
| 4 Star | 3.1 | 3.29 | 4 Star | 4 | 4.49 | |
| 5 Star | 3.3 | 5 Star | 4.5 |
Table 1: Window ACs Table 2: Split AC
Furthermore, each BEE star label also mentions the year in which the appliance was rated. This is also significant. Since BEE keeps updating its rating, it is best to buy an appliance that was rated recently, as it is possible for the rating to be downgraded as well.
Window air conditioners and split air conditioners have different star labels, so a five-star rated window AC may consume more electricity than a three-star rated split AC. Furthermore, the higher the star rating, the less energy the AC Power consumes while operating for the same duration, which is the major difference between 3 stars and 5 star AC. Thus, a 5-star rated AC enables greater savings than a 3-star rated AC. The BEE label also mentions how many units each appliance consumes per year, which gives you an idea of how the appliance performs.
One of the best ACs under 30000 rupees is Daikin 1 Ton 3-Star Split AC (ATL35TV), which cools your house in no time, and is equally energy efficient. So what are you waiting for? Get this AC and enjoy summer like never before!
