When you go to an electronic store to buy a refrigerator, you will find the salespersons briefing you about star rating in refrigerators as the main USP. This is because a refrigerator is a high power-consuming appliance and everyone looks to buy an energy-efficient model.
In fact, a refrigerator contributes to nearly 10% of the electricity bill. The star ratings in a refrigerator segregate the refrigerators as per their power consumption. In this article, we will look at star ratings in refrigerators in detail. So if this sounds useful, stick to the very end.
Understanding Star Ratings
Star rating in a refrigerator is a ranking that determines how energy-efficient the refrigerator is. Companies recommend their consumers to keep their modern refrigerators running for 24 hours. The compressor will switch on and off automatically, and power consumption is regulated accordingly. However, a refrigerator is the single most power-consuming appliance in any home.
To make the refrigerator energy-efficient and minimize power consumption, the Indian Government set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE) in 2002. BEE set the standard for star rating in refrigerators as well as other common electronic appliances. The more stars a refrigerator has, the more energy-efficient it is, hence, it will consume relatively low power.
Correlation of Star Rating And Power Consumption
Refrigerators come with different volumes and each volume category has star ratings from 1-star to 5-star. For example, for the 250-Litre refrigerator category, you will find different 250-Litre refrigerators with different star ratings. The 5-star refrigerator will consume the lowest power while a 1-star refrigerator will consume the highest power. The following chart will help you get a better idea.
For 250-Litre Refrigerator –
| Star Rating | Power Consumption Per Year |
| No Star Rating | 1100 kWh |
| 1 | 977 kWh |
| 2 | 782 kWh |
| 3 | 626 kWh |
| 4 | 500 kWh |
| 5 | 400 kWh |
It is quite clear that the non-rated, older refrigerators consume more power than the same volume 1-star refrigerator.
Factors Affecting The Star Rating
When you visit a store to buy a refrigerator for a certain volume, say 250 litres, you will come across 250-litre refrigerators of various brands. You will also come across different 250 litres refrigerators with the same star ratings.
If you think that all the same star rating refrigerators have the same energy-efficiency, you are quite wrong. When they have the same star rating, you should check the following factors.
Year Of Manufacture – A refrigerator that has the latest year of manufacture in comparison, you can be sure that it will be more energy-efficient. This is because more energy-efficient refrigerators are coming out every year, and the star rating changes accordingly.
For example, the 5-star, 250-L refrigerator manufactured in 2010 consumed 400 units. On the other hand, 4-star, 250-L refrigerator manufactured in 2012 consumed 400 units.
Compressor Technology – The technology of the compressor affects power consumption. For example, a regular 5-star refrigerator will consume relatively more power than a 5-star inverter refrigerator. Similarly, a dual inverter refrigerator will consume less power than a single inverter refrigerator with the same star rating.
Therefore, you should always prefer to purchase the latest model even at a higher price so that you can save in the coming years.
Conclusion
The more the star rating of a refrigerator, the less power it will consume. Hence the lower will be your electricity bill. The higher star-rated refrigerator will cost you more, but in the long run, you will save a lot on your electricity bill.
This will compensate the higher price you as well as reward you more in a few years. Therefore, always go for a high star-rated refrigerator without a second thought.
