--- 

Guidelines for Permitee-Standards

and Labeling program of BEE

Version 1 

January 2016

CONTENTS

Disclaimer: Every attempt has been made to provide guidelines for various situations, but many new situations may arise, which may not be covered by the procedures outlined here. In such cases the general principles of standards and labeling scheme shall be applied by the decision-making authority at Bureau of Energy Efficiency, or any other appropriate authority as delegated by the Bureau with proper recording of justification under intimation to Director General, hereinafter referred to as 'DG'. Where difficulty arises in arriving at a decision, prior direction of the DG shall be taken. DG shall have authority to decide on any issue and permit any deviation from the Guidelines. However the actions proposed or decisions taken at any level must be in the framework of provisions of Energy Conservation Act, 2001, Rules, Regulations and Statutory orders.

Glossary

Act: The Energy Conservation Act, 2001 (52 of 2001).

Appellate Tribunal: means the Appellate Tribunal for Energy Conservation referred to in section 30 of EC act.

Designated agency means any agency designated under clause (d) of section 15.

Energy consumption standards: The norms for process and energy consumptionstandards for any equipment, appliance which consumes, generates, transmits or suppliesenergy;

Equipment or appliance: Any equipment or appliance which consumes, generates,transmits or supplies energy and includes any device that consumes any form of energy andproduces a desired work.

Inspecting officer: The inspecting officer appointed under sub-section (1) of section 17 ofthe EC Act.

Label: Any written, printed, marked, stamped or graphic matter affixed to, or appearing upon the appliance/equipment.

Label period: The validity period of the energy efficiency label under the energy consumption standard specified by the Central Government under clause (a) of Section 14 and in casethe end period of the energy efficiency label is not specified, it shall be deemed to be validuntil a new energy efficiency level is announced by the Central Government.

Models: The range of models of one particular brand to which a single set of test reports is applicable and where each of the models has the same physical characteristics, energy consumption/efficiency and performance characteristics and includes family of models.

Notification: A notification in the Gazette of India or, as the case may be, the OfficialGazette of a State.

Permittee: A person who has been granted the permission to affix the label.

Regulations: Regulations made by the Bureau under this Act.

Schedule : A document which prescribes the minimum energy performance standards, particulars and manner of display of label and other relevant information of appliances/ equipment covered under the labeling scheme.

Star rating or star level : The grade of energy efficiency displayed on the label of theproduct based on the energy consumption standard notified under clause (a) of section 14 todenote the energy efficiency of the product.

Trader or Seller : In relation to any labeled product means, a person who sells ordistributes any such product and includes the manufacturer, trader, and permittee given permission to affix label on such product.

Introduction

Government of India enacted the Energy Conservation (EC) Act, 2001 to realize the benefitsof energy efficiency through reduced energy consumption. The Act provides the legal framework, institutional arrangement and regulatory mechanism to embark upon an energy efficiency drive in the country. Energy efficiency institutional practices and programs in India are being guided through various voluntary and mandatory provisions of the Act.

The Government of India set up Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), also referred to as 'BEE'or 'Bureau' on 1st March 2002 under the provisions of the EC Act, 2001. The mission of the Bureau is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the EC Act, 2001 with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.

1.   Standards & Labeling Scheme of BEE

The Standards and Labeling Scheme (S&L) is one of the major thrust areas of BEE. The scheme was launched on May, 2006 by Ministry of Power. A key objective of thisscheme is to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy saving and thereby cost saving potential of the relevant marketed product. The scheme targetsdisplay of energy performance labels on high energy end use equipment & appliances and lays down minimum energy performance standards.

Energy 'labeling' is one of the most cost effective policy tools for improving energy efficiency and lowering energy cost of appliances/equipment for the consumers. The program has been developed in a collaborative and consensus driven approach with active participation from all the stakeholders.

Standards

Energy-efficiency standards are procedures and regulations that prescribe the energy performance of manufactured products, sometimes prohibiting the sale of products that are less efficient than a minimum level. The term “standards” commonly encompasses two possible meanings: a) well-defined test protocols (or test procedures) to obtain a sufficiently accurate estimate of the energy performance of a product, or at least a relative ranking of its energy performance compared to that of other models; and b) target limits on energy performance (usually maximum use or minimum efficiency) based on a specified test protocol.

Labels

Energy efficiency labels are informative labels affixed to products to describe energy performance (usually in the form of energy use, efficiency, or energy cost); these labels give consumers the necessary information to make informed purchases. Mainly there are two types of labels namely endorsement labels and comparative labels :

 6

a)       Comparative label : allow consumers to compare efficiency of all the models of a product in order to make an informed choice. It shows the relative energy use of a product compared to other models available in the market.

b)       Endorsement label : define a group of products as efficient when they meet minimum energy performance criteria specified in the respective product schedule/ regulation/statutory order.

Energy labels can be used stand alone or complement energy standards. In addition to giving information that allows consumers who care to select efficient models, labels also provide a common energy-efficiency benchmark that can work in association with other policy measures such as procurement programs, financial incentives etc. The effectiveness of energy labels is heavily dependent on how they present information to the consumer and on how they are supported by information campaigns, financial incentives, and other related programs.

S&L in India works on a model in which the permittee provides information related to energy efficiency of the product on the label as prescribed in the respective product regulation, statutory order and/or schedule issued by the Bureau from time to time. A star rating, ranging from 1 to 5 in the ascending order of energy efficiency is provided to products registered with the Bureau. An endorsement label is also provided for some products.

For the labeling program, the Bureau works through technical committees of experts and stakeholders, comprising of representatives from industry, industry association, consumer organizations, academia, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Research& Development (R&D) institutions, testing laboratories, government organizations and regulatory bodies etc. The appliances covered under the S&L scheme are as follows:

Mandatory

1. Frost Free (No-Frost) Refrigerator
2. Tubular Florescent Lamps
3. Room Air-conditioners
4. Distribution Transformers
5. Room Air Conditioners (Cassette, Floor Standing Tower, Ceiling, Corner AC)

Voluntary

1. Direct Cool Refrigerator
2. Colour TV
3. Electric Geysers

1. Induction Motors
2. Agricultural Pump Sets
3. Ceiling Fans
4. LPG Stoves
5. Washing Machines
6. Laptops/Notebooks
7. Office Equipment's
8. Ballast
9. Diesel Engine Driven Monoset Pumps for Agricultural Purposes
10. Solid State Inverters
11. Diesel Generator
12. Variable Capacity Air Conditioner (Inverter AC's)
13. LED Retrofit lamps

2.   General Introduction for participation in the labeling program

Manufacturers of equipment/importers/traders can participate in the scheme by registering with the Bureau. On announcement of a labeling schedule/regulation for respective product, BEE shall upload following information on S&L web portal:

a)     Schedule/regulation of BEE for respective product;

b)    Procedure for obtaining a Label;

c)     List of documents required to be submitted along with the application;

d)    Financial obligations involved

The applicant shall apply online through S&L web portal and subsequently submit hard copies of the application along with supporting documents to BEE. The applicants shall strictly follow the following guidelines:

a)     Each and every document submitted to the Bureau (either in hard copy or uploaded online) shall be duly signed and stamped by the authorized signatory in original.

b)    All the documents must be submitted in the given sequence (as mentioned in section

2.1.1 (c) and 2.1.2 of the Guidelines) and shall be filed properly.

c)    Documents without proper filing or loose or clipped or only stapled will not be accepted.

d)    Deviation from the process would be treated as non-compliance to the application/registration.

 8

2.1.         Process for Registration

2.1.1.   Company Registration

a)            The applicants shall first register themselves on the S&L web portal. An applicant needs to register themselves only once for each product but separate company registration shall be required for every brand of the product, i.e., if a company has a product such as refrigerator in four brands, then it shall be registered four times for each brand.

The application (please see Annex 1: Sample Company Registration Form) for registration should be submitted along with following documents.

i)      Document authenticating the name and address of the premises where the products are manufactured which includes:

l The certificates/documentary evidence from Registrar of Firm/Directorate of Industries/Industries Centre/Gram Panchayat/ Municipal Corporation/Local Body/Pollution Control Board, or;

l Sale deed indicating ownership of the premises by the applicant firm orvalid lease deed showing lawful occupancy of the firm over the premises (in case the applicant firm is having tenancy rights over the premises), or;

l Firm's registration with Sales Tax Authority, Central Excise Authority/Registrar of Societies.

ii)     Valid SSI (Small Scale Industries) certificate in case of small scale industries;

iii)    Valid Quality Management System Certificate as per latest version of IS/ISO 9001 issued by an accredited certification body;

iv)    A duly stamped letter from the head of the organization on its letter head mentioning the name and specimen signature of the authorized signatory for representing the organization;

v)     Valid BIS License for the same model for which the registration is being sought wherever applicable as mentioned in the respective schedule;

vi)    Valid Trade Mark certificate in the name of the brand/company. In case, valid trade mark certificate is not submitted to the Bureau, then the Bureau shall not be responsible for any dispute on the brand name or trade name;

vii)  A declaration from the applicant stating that the information provided in the documents is correct and can be verified at any given time.

 9

For voluntary labeling program, applicant shall enter into an agreement on a non-judicial stamp paper worth INR 100, with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, (please see Annex 2: Standard Agreement between the Bureau and the user of label for voluntaryproducts at INR 100 Stamp paper), agreeing to abide by the terms and conditions ofthe scheme. The agreement will be valid for period of 3 years or until notification underclause (d) of section 14 of EC Act, 2001 issued by Central Govt., whichever is earlier.

If the applicant has applies for any of the documents specified in ii), iii), v) and vi), s/he may submit a declaration stating that these documents have been applied for along with documentary proof. If these documents except vi) are not submitted within 6 months of the date of declaration, the application shall not be processed further by the Bureau.

b)            The applicant shall deposit a security fee of INR 1,00,000 for each registration as security deposit. However, applicants registered as small scale industries (SSI units), shall deposit INR 25,000, provided they submit the valid SSI registration certificate.

The security deposit shall be paid through demand draft in favour of "Bureau of Energy Efficiency”, payable at New Delhi or online. In case payment is made online, the applicant shall provide the receipt of payment.

c)             Applicant shall subsequently submit hard copies of the application along with all the supporting documents specified in a) above, to the Bureau in the following sequence:

i)      Covering Letter (please see Annex 3: Covering Letter format for Company Registration and Annex 4: Covering Letter for thesubmission of Clarification on company registration). Applications without cover letter shall not be accepted

ii)     Agreement between BEE & user of label/permittee for voluntary products

iii)    Document authenticating the name and address of the manufacturing or business premises

iv)    Trade Marks certificate

v)     SSI certificate, if applicable

vi)    Quality Management System Certificate

vii)   Authorized Signatory Letter

viii) BIS License, if applicable

ix)    Demand Draft (Security deposit)/payment receipt in case payment is made online

x)     Print out of the Online Application form (properly signed and stamped with company seal)

 10

The hard copy documents shall be sent to following address:

The Secretary, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, Ministry of Power 4th Floor, Sewa Bhawan, R. K. Puram, New Delhi 110 066 (India)

d)            On approval of company registration, each applicant shall be allotted an user ID. The applicant may file and track the status of its application for model registration through the S&L web portal of the Bureau.

2.1.2.   Model Registration

The applicant shall apply online for registering their models as per the prescribed format (please see Annex 5: Model Registration Form), along with the list of documents and a non-refundable registration fee of INR 2000 for each model (Note: the registration fee for mandatory products shall be as per the fee mentioned in gazette notification). Payment of application fee can be made either through a demand draft or online through BEE's web portal. The application ID must be mentioned on the back of the Demand draft (DD). In case, a single DD is submitted for multiple applications, the total amount must equal the sum of individual amounts required per application, failing which the applications shall be rejected. Applicants shall also be required to provide hard copies of these documents to BEE as per the sequence mentioned below:

a)     A covering letter on the organization letter head as per the prescribed format for fresh application (please see Annex 6: Covering Letter format for Fresh Applications of model registration). Subsequentclarifications, if any, may be provided (please see Annex 7: CoveringLetter format for clarification of model registration).

b)    Demand draft or in case, the payment is made online, then receipt of online payment must be provided.

c)     A hard copy of the online application form duly signed and stamped with company seal must be submitted.

d)    Test report in original providing the energy efficiency performance value, from NABL accredited lab which may be from manufacturers' own lab or an independent lab. Manufacturers' in house test report must be submitted on the letterhead of the organization. The manufactured product should conform to the relevant standards referred in the schedule/regulation and the validity of such test report should not be more than 1 year.

 11

The values of the test results shall be submitted as per the prescribed format specified in respective product regulation/schedule.

The applicant must submit a declaration letter for family of models (please see Annex 8: Declaration letter for family of models).

e)     Specimen of the BEE label as specified in the relevant product regulation/schedule;

i)      If self-adhesive, label to be pasted on an A4 sheet and cross signed on the label and stamped by the authorised signatory.

ii)     If metallic, label to be placed inside a transparent cover and stapled with the application form. A coloured photo copy of metallic label with cross signature and stamp of authorised signatory shall also be submitted.

The IAME shall evaluate the application and once approved, the Bureau shall authorize the applicant to affix BEE star label on the registered product.

On grant of permission to affix the label, permittee shall:

a)     Submit details of the registered model wise data of products manufactured/imported on a quarterly basis, duly certified by third party chartered accountant to the Bureau;

b)     Ensure that a registered model would be available in the market for a period of at least one year. The model cannot be withdrawn during the period;

c)     Provide information about the availability of the models with its location details and

d)     In case, no production is carried out during the first six month after the award of the label, permittee has to revalidate and confirm that the production has started and the condition “c” above would then apply. This process would continue for a period of maximum three years or as mentioned in notification, whichever is earlier, which coincide with the validity of the label.

2.2.         Renewal of registration/agreement

It is essential for permittee to ensure that registration is renewed/ degraded/continued, on the expiry ofvalidity period (as specified in product schedule/statutory order) or on the expiry of company registration. In case of company registration for voluntary products, the agreement between permittee and BEE shall be renewed on the expiry of the validity period of agreement.

 12

2.2.1.   Renewal of model registration

Model Registration shall generally be valid for a period of three years or degraded/continued as specified in the respective product schedule/statutory order/regulation.

I                            For renewal of model registration, the following procedure shall be followed:

a)   An online renewal notice shall be issued by the Bureau or its designatedagency to the manufacturer through S&L web portal, six months before the expiry of the validity of the registration.

b)   The permittee must ensure that the production data along with labeling fees is up to date before submitting an application for renewal which should not be later than three months before its expiry of the validity of registration.

c)    The application shall be accompanied by a fee of INR 500 (non-refundable) for each model, payable by demand draft drawn in favour of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, New Delhi or online payment.

The Bureau shall renew permission within a period of one month from the date of such receipt.

II                           In case of revision of energy performance standard, the permittee whoseeks to continue with the existing model without any design changes (ie., degradation/continuation of models), the following procedure shall be followed:

a)    A degradation option (i.e., from existing table to new table) will be available on manufacturers/permittee's web portal, three months before the expiry date.

b)    The permittee is required to submit a declaration to the Bureau as per the prescribed format.

After verification, the degraded/continued model with revised star level will directly appear in Search & Compare page of BEE star label website and Bureau shall not issue any approval letter.

Note: In case if permittee wants to continue with the same model by making some modifications to achieve revised energy performance standards, manufacturer has to apply as a fresh application following the existing procedure.

2.2.2.     Renewal of agreement between BEE and permittee (for voluntary products)

Agreement shall be renewed for a period of three years or as specified in respective schedule. Agreement between BEE and permittee shall be renewed as per the following procedure:

 13

a)  An online renewal notice shall be issued by the Bureau or its designated agency to the manufacturer through S&L web portal, six months before the expiry of the validity of the agreement.

b)    The permittee must ensure that the production data along with labeling fees for all registered models is up to date before submitting an application for renewal which should not be later than three months before its expiry of the validity of agreement.

In case the agreement date expires, firm will have to apply afresh and security deposit shall be forfeited. The permittee may be granted a grace period of a maximum of one month provided it submits a declaration stating the reason for the delay before the expiry of validity and such considerations, if any, shall be made only once.

For renewal of agreement, BEE shall assess the performance evaluation report of the permittee prepared by designated agency which may include but not limited to, results of check testing in the preceding three years, payment of necessary fee, follow-up/corrective actions taken by the permittee regarding the discrepancies and failures observed. If the application is received for renewal and the overall assessment of the performance of the applicant is found to be unsatisfactory due to any reasons specified in section 2.5 of the guidelines, the registration will not be renewed and considered expired at the end of validity period and the permittee will be informed accordingly.

2.3.         Withdrawal of Registration by the Permittee

A permittee may wish to discontinue the registration due to any of the following reasons:

a)             Inability to meet the requirements of any revision in the rating plan;

b)             Change in product design of registered appliance;

c)              Discontinue with the business;

d)             Any unforeseen circumstances, namely strike, lock out, etc.

The request for withdrawal of registration to affix the label shall follow the following process:

a)            Permittee shall inform the Bureau of its intention to withdraw through writtencommunication;

b)            Permittee shall identify the models to be withdrawn through S&L web portal;

c)            Bureau shall review the financial dues of the applicant regarding any outstanding amount;

 14

d)           Bureau shall ensure that the request for withdrawal is not made within 15 months from the date of registration of the model except for custom build products;

e)            After reviewing the request, the Bureau shall take necessary action to approve/reject the request for withdrawal of application and communicate to the permittee through S&L web portal.

However, the permittee shall not be allowed to withdraw registration in case the request is made:

a)            Within 15 months from the date of registration of the model except for custom build products;

b)           Not submitted the financial dues for the period for which the model was registered.

The permittee shall be refunded security deposit on withdrawal of registration subject to the approval of the competent authority or withdrawal/revision of schedule/regulation of respective product by the Bureau.

2.4.         Suspension of registration at the request of permittee

The Bureau may temporarily suspend the registration at the request of the permittee under the circumstances that the operation(s) at its premises are discontinued due to :

a)            Natural calamities such as flood, fire, earthquake etc.;

b)            A lock out declared by the permittee management;

c)            Closure of operations directed by a competent court or statutory authority and

d)            Any other circumstances beyond the control of permittee.

Suspension of registration under these circumstances shall not be for more than  6months. However, in the case of situation (a) above, suspension period may extend for another 6 months. The suspension shall be revoked by the Bureau upon receipt of declaration from the permittee that the operation(s) have restarted supported by suitable documentary evidence.

2.5.         Cancellation of Permission to Affix Label

The permission to affix a label on the registered product shall be cancelled by the Bureau in any of the following situations:

a)            Expiry of validity period of permission to affix the label;

 15

b)            If registered model is not produced within 6 months from date of approval of registration for the respective model, except for custom build products;

c)            Non-compliance in manner of display of the label as specified in the respective schedule/regulation;

d)            Non receipt of action taken report from permittee on failure of sample in second check testing;

e)            Inadequate measures taken towards correcting the discrepancies or time taken is more than the prescribed period;

f)             Any contravention of the provisions of the EC Act considered serious in nature, for example non-settlement of financial dues, non-settlement of complaints, affixing the labels on the types/varieties of products not included inthe scope of the registration etc.;

g)            Non-compliance to the requirements in case the schedule/regulation/ statutory order is amended/revised and

h)            Any other case of non-compliance with regulation/schedule of respective products.

However, in the event of cancellation of registration by the Bureau, the security deposit shall be forfeited.

Submission of fresh application on cancellation of registration

Fresh applications may be considered for cancelled or non-renewed registration once corrective measures have been taken by the permittee. Such applications shall be processed following the same procedure as for a new application (section 2.1). The applicant must also provide an undertaking with the evidence of measures takentowards correcting the discrepancies.

However, fresh applications will not be considered for cancelled or non-renewed registration for reasons c) to h) described in section 2.5.

3.   Timelines for Application Processing

Bureau shall follow specific timelines for the application processing cycle. The company and the model registration process shall be completed within 7-10 days and 30-45 days respectively provided the information furnished in the application is complete and supported by all the necessary documents and the registration fee. A stepwise description of application processing along with the timeline associated with each step is presented in the tables below.

 16

Table 1 : Timelines for processing of application for company registration

 17

Table 2: Timelines for processing of application for model registration

 18

4.   Fee structure

In order to participate in the labeling program, participants will be required to deposit fee atvarious stages. The detailed fee structure of the scheme is described below:

4.1.         Security Deposit

An applicant will be required to deposit a refundable security deposit of INR 1,00,000 at the time of company registration. However, the security deposit amount shall be charged at a concessional rate of INR 25,000 from the SSI subjected to submissionof valid small scale industries certificate.

4.2.         Application Fee

An applicant will be required to deposit a non-refundable fee of INR 2000 per model or as decided by the Bureau.

*Note: the registration fee for mandatory products shall be as per the fee mentioned in gazette notification.

4.3.         Labeling Fee

As specified in clause 2 (n) of section 13 of the EC Act, a labeling fee shall be leviedon all mandatory and voluntary products. The basis and the guidelines for fixation, as also for review and revision of labeling fee, shall be worked out by the Bureaufrom time to time. Labeling fee shall be published in the respective product regulation/schedule/statutory order. A schedule of latest labeling fee approved for the various schedule/regulations/statutory order shall be made available on S&L web portal.

Labeling fee for a new product shall be proposed by the Bureau in consultation with the respective technical committees. The following components shall be taken into consideration for the fixation of labeling fee:

 19

  20

a)       Cost of Products : Total cost of the products for check testing activity in a year.

b)       Cost of Testing : Total cost for the testing for the products in a year.

c)        Cost of transportation : Total  cost for the transportation of the products in  a year.

d)       Publicity and Outreach : Total cost for publicity and outreach of the scheme.

The Bureau shall review the labeling fee fixed for various products periodically (at least once in three years) or whenever a schedule or the regulation is revised. The Bureaushall communicate the revised labeling fee and its date of implementation to all thepermittees and take their acceptance on the requisite proforma through S&L web portal.

In case the permittee fails to give their acceptance for the revised labeling fee, the Bureaushall not process any further applications for registration. In case of models which are already registered, failure to give acceptance by the permittee shall disallow those products to be sold in the market with BEE label from the date of implementation ofrevised labeling fee.

The labeling fee shall be paid by the permittee at the end of each financial year or at theend of each quarter. The amount of labeling fee deposited by the permittee shall be based on its submission of the production data certified by the chartered accountant of thecompany at the end of each quarter on the S&L web portal as well as hard copies dulysigned and stamped by the authorized signatory of the company. The data received from thepermittee shall be treated strictly confidential.

The labeling fee currently levied for the products covered under mandatory and voluntary scheme is as follows :

Table 3: Existing Labeling Fee for the Products under S&L Scheme

Note :    The labeling fee levied on the above mentioned products is valid as on the date of publication of the guideline.

5.   Manner of display and Method of affixing the Label

In conformance to the design, dimensions and the energy performance requirements specified in the respective BEE schedule/regulation/statutory order, the BEE star label provides details such as the unique identification number of the manufacturer, star rating, energy performance values and the important details of the product including the BEE logo.

The permittee is required to submit the label specimen to Bureau for approval at the time of registration as per specifications available on S&L web portal through CDR (Corel Draw) file.

5.1.           Manner of Display of Label

The terms & conditions (T&C) for manner of display are notified in the regulation and schedule for the mandatory products and respective product schedule for voluntary products. The T&C include guidelines for parameters with respect to the

 21

label, i.e., design, colour, dimension, content, sample picture, placement, material and shape, suitable visibility and manner of affixation of the label etc.

5.2.           Method of affixing the label

The label should be affixed in such a manner that it is not possible to easily remove the label from the product. The following are some of the approved methods of applying label as prescribed in the schedule/regulation of the product:

a)            Printed self-adhesive label, adhesive tapes, transfix labels, etc.;

b)            Printing on an anodized name-plate and

c)            Printing on products, like tubular fluorescent lamps, LED lamps

6.   Monitoring, Verification and Enforcement

A robust and effective MV&E is crucial to ensure that program participants operate in a market that is fair, consistent and encourages investment and innovation in energy efficiency. The MV&E framework sets out the principles adopted by the BEE to optimise compliance with the EC Act (2001 and subsequent amendments) and other relevant legislation and regulations relating to the energy labeling of appliances and equipment. It is targeted towards appliance and equipment manufacturers, importers, traders, and retailers who have obligations under relevant legislation and regulations.

Some of the aspects of monitoring and verification to assess non-compliance are:

1. Check testing
2. Challenge testing

6.1.          Check Testing

Check testing assesses whether the claims made for the energy performance of individual products by the permittee are accurate under the conditions stipulated inthe relevant product regulation/schedule.

The Bureau or its designated agency (IAME or SDA or any other agency), shall suomotu carry out check testing of products as per the product schedule or regulation to ensure that product models meet the performance claims. In case the sample drawn for the check testing fails, the Bureau or its designated agency shall conduct a second check testing.

Bureau or its designated agency shall use a sampling based approach to the selection of products for check testing. Once the samples are selected, they shall be procured by the Bureau or its designated agency from the market. Once the samples are procured, the check testing of labeled products shall be conducted in a third party NABL accredited laboratories. The test lab shall submit the test report to

 22

the Bureau on completion of testing, which will be evaluated by the Bureau or its designated agency to evaluate whether the test result conforms to the relevant schedule/standard/regulation and also the information given on the label.

Second check testing

i)             In case the sample drawn for the first check testing fails, the Bureau or its designated agency shall conduct a second check testing for which it shall buy two additional samples of the same model within two weeks.

ii)            The permittee/user of the label would be accordingly informed about the failure of the first check testing and shall be advised to deposit the cost of the samples and also the cost of check testing in advance. If permittee does not deposit/pay the cost, then also Bureau shall proceed with testing but will not process any further applications for new products of the respective permittee and shall block the S&L web portal of the permittee.

iii)           In case samples are not available in the market and all efforts to trace the samples fail, designated agency shall submit a report to BEE with all facts including locations where appliance was searched. The Bureau shall then write to the permittee to provide that sample, within 3-4 weeks of the date of issuance of such letter. In case permittee is not able to provide sample for the second check testing, then check testing of the first sample shall be treated as final and shall be binding on the permittee.

iv)           BEE or its designated agency shall inform the date of second check testing to the permittee witness and advise them to depute their official to witness the testing. The permittee shall accordingly inform the name of the nominee to BEE. If the permittee is unable to witness the testing, the Bureau shall proceed with testing in the presence of BEE/ designated agency personnel and the test result shall be binding on the permittee.

v)            The second check testing shall be done in the laboratory where the first check testing was conducted. In case it is not possible to test the second sample in the same laboratory, the sample may be tested in another empanelled laboratory under intimation to the Bureau.

vi)           On completion of testing, designated agency shall review the test reports and forward their recommendations and all relevant documents, in original, to the Bureau.

vii)         In case any one or both samples collected for second test fail, Bureau shall proceed with the following actions:

l                  direct the permittee, under intimation to all the State Designated Agencies, that the permittee within a period of two months from the date ofissuance of such intimation, shall-

 23

 Correct the star level displayed on the label of the product or remove the defects and deficiencies found during testing from the existing and new stock;

1. Withdraw all the stocks from the market to comply with the directionsof the Bureau; and
2. Change the particulars displayed on advertising material.

l                  publish, for the benefit of the consumers, the name of any permittee, brand name, model name or model number, logo and other specification inany national or regional daily newspaper and in any electronic or in any other manner as it deems fit within two months;

l                  intimate to the concerned State Designated Agencies to initiate further adjudication proceedings against the permittee and the trader under section 27 of the Act.

viii)        The permittee within ten days of the conclusion of the period of two months from the date of issuance of intimation as mentioned at vii) above shall-

l                  send the action taken report on the prescribed format (please see Annex 9: Action Taken Report on failure of check testing fromPermittee to BEE) to the Bureau with respect to action taken incompliance with the direction; and

l                  in case action taken report referred above is not received or received without complying with any of the direction within the specified period, it shall be deemed as non-compliance of the direction issued and necessary orders to that effect shall be passed by the Bureau.

ix)          Where the permittee fails to comply with the directions issued by the Bureau invii), the Bureau under intimation to all State Designated Agencies, shall,-

l                  withdraw the permission granted to the permittee;

l                  send report to the Central Government accompanied by the test reportin support of the failure by the permittee to conform to the energy consumption standard notified by the Central Government under clause

(a) of section 14 of EC Act, the orders issued by the Bureau under clause

(a) for consideration and taking action under clause (c) of section 14 of EC Act by the Central Government;

l                  publish for the benefit of the consumers, the name of any permittee, brand name, model name or model number, logo and other specification inany national or regional daily newspaper and in any electronic or in any other manner it deems fit within two months;

l                  intimate to the concerned State Designated Agencies to initiate further

 24

adjudication proceedings against the permittee and the trader under section 27 of the Act.

6.2.          Challenge testing

Challenge testing is carried out as and when, any written complaint is received regarding the information on the star label and/or requirement given in the respective product schedule of the Bureau.

a)           In case a complaint is received in respect of wrong or fraudulent declaration, the Bureau shall carry out challenge testing of the product/model in anindependent laboratory. A notice shall be issued to the permittee for conducting the testing.

b)           The complainant shall be asked to submit an affidavit on a stamp paper that in case his claim is proved wrong, he will deposit all expenses related to challenge testing including but not limited to testing, transportation and otherincidental expenses to the Bureau, within one month from the date of receiptof test report.

c)           In case complaint is proved correct, the complainant need not deposit any expenses to the Bureau. Such expenses shall be recovered from the permittee.

If the model against which the complaint is received, has already undergone check testing by the Bureau within one year of the date of complaint, then the complainant shall be informed of the results of check testing or any actions, if taken, as warranted, else, the complaint shall be attended and necessary procedure shall be followed to undertake the challenge testing. The procedure for challenge testing shall follow the same steps as for check testing.

  25

Annex 2: Standard Agreement between the Bureau and the user of

label for voluntary products at INR 100 Stamp paper

AGREEMENT BETWEEN BUREAU OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY, A STATUTORY BODYUNDER THE MINISTRY OF POWER AND APPLICANT'S ORGANIZATION NAME. THE USER OF LABEL OF ENERGY EFFICINECY LABEL UNDER THE SCHEME FORENERGY EFFICIENCY LABELING.

Whereas the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power (hereinafter referred to as the Bureau), a statutory body established under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act 2001, (52 of 2001) with its office at 4th  Floor, Sewa Bhawan, R.K.Puram, New Delhi -110066, India has launched a scheme for energy efficient labeling.

Whereas applicant's organization name engaged in the manufacture/ marketing/ import ofAppliance category (equipment) under the Brand having its registered office at  Office

 location of registered office. Registered office address has agreed to use the label underthe, scheme for energy efficient labeling, (hereinafter referred to as the user of the label).

Now therefore, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows:

1.              General

1.1         Commencement and duration

The agreement shall be valid for a period of 3 years commencing from the date it is signed or until Notification under clause (d) of section 14 of the Energy Conservation Act is issued by the Central Government, whichever is earlier.

1.2         Objective

The objective of this Agreement is that both the parties agree to work together to implement the scheme for energy efficiency labeling for the equipment or appliance category in accordance with the details of the scheme as attached.

1.3         Use of Energy Efficiency Label

The use of the label is assigned to Applicant's organization name for achievingthe objective defined in Section 1.2 of this agreement.

2.              Taxes and duties

2.1         The user of the label shall also bear any taxes, duties, levies, labeling fee, etc. as applicable from time to time in the use of the label under the implementation of the scheme for energy efficiency labeling.

 27

3.              Amendments/Additions

3.1         If both parties to the agreement, form an opinion that any or some provision of the scheme are coming in the way of achievement of this Agreement definedin Section 1.2; and both the Bureau and the user of label are satisfied that the adjustment or amendment of such provisions shall contribute towards theachievement of the objective defined in Section 1.2; Bureau may, adjust or amend such provisions of the scheme at any stage during the implementation of the scheme in consultation with other stakeholders.

3.2         Any such adjustment or amendment shall be made in writing.

4.              Notes

4.1         Any notice given by any of the parties hereunder shall be sent in writingat the address given as follows:

(1)   Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Director General

Bureau of Energy Efficiency 4th Floor, Sewa Bhawan,

R. K. Puram,

New Delhi 110066

(2)   Applicant's organization name

In witness whereof the parties hereto have signed this agreement.

Signature                                             Signature

Bureau of Energy Efficiency                  Applicant's organization name

(Date of signing)

Witness : 1.                                          Witness : 1.

Witness : 2.                                          Witness : 2.

 28

Annex 3: Covering Letter format for Company Registration

(To be furnished on the letter head of the corporate body)

No:                               To,

Date:                                

The Director General Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Subject: Application for registration of the company.

Dear Sir/Madam,

With reference to the above subject, I on behalf of M/s. ……………………………………………...

……………………………………………... submit the following documents for your consideration.

Manufacturer/Distributor/Importer……………………………………………………………………………………

Product Name …………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………….....

Payment Details :

 Amount (INR)             DD No./Ch. No./Date                          Issuing Bank

……………....………           …..........…………………….                          …………………..............

Enclosure Details: (Please tick)

Company registration form                                                      (           )

Certificate of Incorporation                                                     (           )

Agreement (If Applicable)                                                        (           )

Trade Mark Certificate                                                             (           )

ISO certification                                                                       (           )

Authorization Letter                                                                (           )

DD (Security Deposit)                                                              (           )

Thanking you,

(Name & Signature of Authorized Signatory with company seal)

 29

Annex 4: Covering Letter for the submission of Clarification on company registration

(To be furnished on the letter head of the corporate body)

No:                               To,

Date:                                

The Director General Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Subject: Submission of clarification documents.

Dear Sir/Madam,

With reference to the above subject, I on behalf of M/s. …………….....……………………………….

...............……………………………………………………………… submit the followingdocuments for your consideration after being asked to give clarifications in the web portal.

Clarification No: (Please tick): First/ Second/ Third

1.   Manufacturer/Distributor/Importer ………………………………………………………

Product Name …………………………………………………………………..

Enclosure Details:

a………………………………………..

b………………………………………..

c………………………………………..

Thanking you,

(Name & Signature of Authorized Signatory with company seal

 30

Annex 6: Covering Letter format for Fresh Applications of modelregistration

(To be furnished on the letter head of the corporate body)

No:                                

To,

Date:                               

The Director General Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Subject: Application for approval of Star-Labeling: FRESH APPLICATION

Dear Sir/Madam,

With reference to the above subject, I on behalf of M/s. ………………………………………………

…………………………………………......…… submit the following documents for yourconsideration. Manufacturer/Distributor/Importer…………………………………………………………………………………...

Company ID …………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………......

Product Name …………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………..

Payment Details :

 Amount (INR)             DD No./Ch. No./Date                          Issuing Bank

……………....………          …..........…………………….                          …………………..............

Enclosure Details: (Please tick)

Covering letter                                                                                    (           )

DD (model registration Fee)                                                                 (           )

Online application form                                                                       (           )

Mandatory form & Annexure                                                               (           )

Test report                                                                                           (           )

Sample Label                                                                                       (           )

Thanking you,

(Name & Signature of Authorized Signatory with company seal)

 34

Annex 7: Covering Letter format for clarification of model registration

(To be furnished on the letter head of the permittee)

No:                               To,

Date:                                

The Director General

Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Subject: Submission of clarification documents.

Dear Sir/Madam,

With reference to the above subject, I on behalf of M/s. …………….....……………………………….

...............……………………………………………………………… submit the followingdocuments for your consideration after being asked to give clarifications in the web portal.

Clarification No: (Please tick): First/ Second/ Third

1.   Manufacturer/Distributor/Importer………………………………………………………………………….....

Company ID …………………………………………………………………..…………………………......................

Product Name …………………………………………………………………..…………………………..................

Enclosure Details:

a………………………………………..

b………………………………………..

c………………………………………..

Thanking you,

(Name & Signature of Authorized Signatory with company seal

 35

Annex 8: Declaration letter for family of models

The Director General Bureau of Energy Efficiency 4th  Floor, Sewa Bhawan

R.K. Puram

New Delhi-110066 India

Sub: Declaration for Family of Model

We hereby declare that the below mentioned models are family models against base model. Test report of the base model will be applicable for the family models.

Thereby, test reports of the base model referred here apply to the family of models. Thanks

Signature:

Name                       :

Designation              :

For and on behalf of   :     (Name of the organization)

 36

Annex 9: Action Taken Report on failure of check testing from Permittee to BEE Action Taken Report (To be furnished on Company's letter head)

To                                                                                                                                           Dated…..

The Secretary,

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Ministry of Power, Govt. of India) 4th Floor, Sewa Bhawan,

Sector-1, R. K. Puram, New Delhi-110 066 INDIA.

Pursuant to the provisions of regulation 7 of  the  Bureau  of  Energy  Efficiency (Particulars and Manner of display of Label on Name of product ) Regulations, 20XX, we M/s....................................................................................the   manufacturer   of   (Name   ofthe

product) were permitted to affix label on the (Name of the product) conforming to the energy consumption standard of .................star level vide BEE letterNo.................dated.................................................. for the

model number..........................................

Pursuant to the provisions of sub-regulation (5) of regulation 11 of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Particulars and Manner of display of Label on Name of Product) Regulations,20XX, we were giving directions vide BEE letter number....................dated. to take necessary corrective

action. In the light of directive issued by the Bureau , we hereby declare that the followingactions have been taken at our end.

The above declaration is true to the best of our knowledge and belief. Signature

Name :                                                             Designation :

For and on behalf of ....................................................................................

Name of the Co./Firm etc.                                                                              Seal of the firm

 37