Often, Energy Efficiency is an afterthought when it comes to climate solutions, with solar, wind, and electric cars taking center stage. However, Energy Efficiency is actually a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and towards a more equitable future. It is something that we, the people have to understand and contribute our part in saving energy, starting right from our households by saving the energy in the form of electricity.
Whenever we try to validate our exorbitant electricity bill, large appliances like AC, Refrigerator, and Washing machines or heating appliances are always under suspicion. We always overlook one of the most widely used appliances i.e., the Ceiling Fan, which is an all-weather appliance running non-stop day and night and cumulatively consumes more electricity than we assume to be. Given its huge popularity almost everywhere – be it houses, offices, or shops and secretly consuming large amounts of energy factor, the Government of India under the Ministry of Power introduced Ceiling Fans under its beautifully designed Star Labeling Program (S&L) program under the Voluntary scheme on 1 August 2019. This was done with an aim to encourage the manufacturers to work in direction of making the advancements in the product so that it can save electricity leading to the discovery of BLDC motors being widely used in Ceiling fans.
Let’s take a deep drive on the technical aspect on the previously used induction motors and newly introduced BLDC motors.
Initially, we used to have Single Phase Induction Motors installed in Ceiling fans. The induction motors are small, lightweight, and require less maintenance. However, these motors are poorly efficient.
Therefore, to eradicate this, another technological innovation and revolution took place in the ceiling fan industry with which the same output can be obtained with less power consumption i.e., the introduction of
BLDC or Brushless Direct Current Motors. The BLDC motor uses a combination of permanent magnets and electronic circuits to achieve the kind of efficiency and performance it delivers. The use of electronic circuits is an added advantage to these motors making them highly efficient. BLDC fans generate the same amount of airflow as ordinary induction motor-based fans with lesser energy consumption, help consumers cut down on their utility bills significantly and save the environment
image source: https://www.superfan.in/blog/2020/03/30/brief-note-bldc-fans-and-application/
GOVERNMENT SCHEME TO ENCOURAGE BLDC CEILING FANS
As mentioned in the beginning, the S&L labeling scheme was a beautifully designed scheme looking after the introduction of more and more energy-efficient products. As of now, Ceiling Fans having sweeps sizes 900 mm, 1050 mm, 1200 mm, 1400 mm, 1500 mm are eligible to procure star rating under Voluntary S& L scheme. Service value is considered as the parameter to evaluate the energy conservation rating of the product. The Service Value is calculated by dividing the Air Delivery (in cubic meter/minute) by Power consumption. Higher the service value more energy-efficient the fan is.
The table determining the number of stars to be given to any Ceiling fan as per its performance is as below:
Valid from 1st September, 2019 to 30th June, 2022
| Service Value (m3/minute/Watt) |
| Star Rating | For sweep size ≥ 1200 mm i.e., for blade sweep of 1200 mm, 1400 mm, and 1500 mm | For sweep size<1200 i.e., for blade sweep of 900 mm and 1050 mm |
| 1 star | ≥ 4.0 to < 4.5 for 1200 mm ≥ 4.1 to < 4.5 for 1400 mm ≥ 4.3 to < 4.5 for 1500 mm | ≥ 3.1 to < 3.6 |
| 2 star | ≥ 4.5 to < 5.0 | ≥ 3.6 to < 4.1 |
| 3 star | ≥ 5.0 to < 5 | ≥ 4.1 to < 4.6 |
| 4 star | ≥ 5.5 to < 6.0 | ≥ 4.6 to < 5.1 |
| 5 star | ≥ 6.0 | ≥ 5.1 |
The government of India has taken such great initiative towards energy conservation that ultimately aims at the welfare of the people, the nation, and hence the world.
Now, it becomes the prime responsibility of the consumers, to opt for star-labeled equipment only and make this scheme a success. Please remember that going for the non-star labeled Ceiling Fans (or any product) might found cheap at the time of purchase but can burn your pocket by exorbitant electricity bill, and also makes your contribution in wasting energy and hence, the degradation of the environment.