EMC to set up testing lab in city

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsEver wondered how energy efficient the LED you recently bought from your neighbourhood shop really is? Or the fridge, or the geyser for that matter? Even though Kerala has begun chanting the energy conservation mantra, the State lacks a fully-equipped testing lab where the public can pop in and test the energy-saving properties of electrical appliances or building materials.The Energy Management Centre (EMC), the Power Ministry’s energy conservation nodal agency in the State, is planning to address this serious shortcoming by establishing a lab in Thiruvananthapuram. A detailed project proposal is expected to be on the EMC table in two months’ time, EMC director K M Dhareshan Unnithan said.‘’A testing lab is the need of the hour as this sector is becoming competitive with international brands eyeing our market. The Energy Efficiency Services Ltd under the Union Power Ministry has offered 50-per cent assistance for establishing the lab,’’ he said.The best facility now available in South India is at the Central Power Research Institute, Bangalore. Low-quality LEDs and other electrical appliances, many of Chinese make, have become a common sight in city shops.Once the lab is operational, the public can test appliances for a fee for examining their energy efficiency levels. Once the Energy Conservation Act is in place, the EMC will be empowered to check the claims of any brand sold in the market, Dhareshan Unnithan said.With the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Union Power Ministry, proposing to make ‘star’ labels mandatory for more electrical appliances in the near future, the need for a testing lab assumes significance.The number of BEE stars denote the degree of energy efficiency, but today the public has no means of checking whether they are really energy efficient or not.Also, the BEE plans to roll out the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), whereby design norms are to be stipulated for building components.first published:January 01, 1970, 05:30 ISTlast updated:January 01, 1970, 05:30 IST 
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