ENERGY CONSERVATION ACT AND BUREAU OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPERATIONALISED

ENERGY SAVING POTENTIAL OF 25,000 MW

SEVERAL IMPORTANT DECISIONS TAKEN AT FIRST MEETING OF GOVERNING COUNCIL

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The Minister of Power, Shri Suresh Prabhu, has desired that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) should make all out efforts in guiding the industry to achieve vast energy saving potential through voluntary measures and self-regulation. Shri Prabhu was addressing the first meeting of the Governing Council of the BEE here. The Minister hoped that the Bureau, in course of time, will become at par with similar organizations in the developed countries such as USA and Japan, in discharging its duties.

The Govternment enacted the Energy Conservation Act with effect from March 1st, 2002 and established the BEE under the supervision, direction and control of a high powered Governing Council under the chairmanship of Minister of Power. The Governing Council of BEE has 26 members including Secretaries of Ministry of Power, Coal, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Non-conventional Energy Sources, Departments of Consumer Affairs and Atomic Energy.

With this meeting, the Energy Conservation Act as well as the BEE have been operationalised. In pursuance of realizing the energy saving potential of about 25,000 MW and equivalent of fossil fuel in the country, the Governing Council took several important decisions, as below :

1. Approval of BEE’s Action and Business Plan which cover separate programs for industrial, agricultural and building sectors, setting standards of energy consumption and labeling on appliances and equipment, Demand Side Management, efficient lighting, Energy Conservation Building Codes, consumer awareness etc.
2. Approval for notifying cement, pulp and paper and textile industries with connected load of 5 MW and above, as designated consumers to begin. These consumers will require to get energy audit conducted and implement the recommendations of feasible energy efficiency measures. Later, fertilizers, chlor-alkali, aluminium, chemical sectors etc. would be notified.
3. Approval of refrigerators, air-conditioners, storage water heaters, motors, agricultural pumpsets, industrial fans and blowers, compressors etc. to be notified as designated equipment and appliances for setting standards of electricity consumption and fixing labels to enable consumers to take choice decisions. Setting minimum standards of electricity consumption at the manufacturing stage followed by strict enforcement, in these gadgets and appliances, will bring about a substantial saving of energy.
4. Approval to conduct national level certification examination and its syllabus for Energy Managers and Energy Auditors.
5. Approval to retain National Productivity Council as the Agency to conduct national level certification examination.
6. Approval of procedure for accreditation of Energy Audit firms to take up energy audit of designated consumers.
7. Approval to release the Action and Business Plans of BEE during the International Conference on Energy Conservation to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on August 23, 2002.