BEE Star Rating Explained: How to Read the Label Before You Buy
A BEE star rating tells you how efficient an appliance is compared with other models of the same type, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Read it together with the units per year, the label period and the year of manufacture on the same label, because the stars alone can mislead.
Quick answer: More stars mean better efficiency, but only against models of the same type and similar size. Before you buy, compare the yearly units on both labels, check that the label period matches the year the unit was made, and scan the QR code on a refrigerator label to call up its registered details.
What a BEE star rating tells you
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) runs India's Standards and Labelling programme for appliances. The programme was launched in May 2006. It sets minimum energy performance standards and grades appliances on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars the most efficient.
Each appliance type is graded on its own measure. A refrigerator is rated on its yearly electricity use, judged against its total storage volume. A room AC is rated on its Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER). A ceiling fan is rated on its service value, and a storage geyser on its standing loss, the heat it loses while holding hot water.
For refrigerators the allowed yearly units rise with total volume. That means a large 5-star refrigerator can use more units in a year than a small 3-star one, even though it is the more efficient design for its size.
Because each appliance type has its own yardstick, stars only make sense next to another model of the same kind and a similar size. Putting the stars on a fan beside the stars on an AC tells you nothing about which one draws more electricity in your home.
Which appliances must carry the star label
For appliances under mandatory labelling, every model on sale must display the label, and BEE's label regulations allow a star label to be fixed only with BEE's permission. BEE's Standards and Labelling page lists these household items as mandatory:
- Frost-free and direct-cool refrigerators
- Room air conditioners, both fixed-speed and variable-speed (inverter), including cassette, floor-standing, ceiling and corner units
- Storage-type electric water heaters (geysers)
- Colour televisions
- Ceiling fans
- LED lamps and tubular fluorescent lamps
Other products are in BEE's voluntary phase, including microwave ovens, domestic LPG stoves, laptops, and table, wall and pedestal fans. A model of these can be sold without a star label, so a missing label on one of them is not by itself a warning sign.
How to read the label, line by line
Main lines on BEE labels for refrigerators, room ACs and ceiling fans, as listed in BEE's label regulations.
| Line on the label | What it tells you | Appliances |
|---|---|---|
| Star level | Efficiency grade from 1 to 5 stars within that appliance type | Refrigerators, ACs, ceiling fans |
| Electricity consumption in units per year | Yearly energy use found in the standard test | Refrigerators, ACs |
| Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) | Cooling delivered over a year divided by electricity used; a higher figure is more efficient | ACs |
| Cooling capacity at 100% and 50% in watts | How much cooling the AC gives at full and at half load | ACs |
| Total volume | Storage space inside the cabinet | Refrigerators |
| Power input, air delivery and service value | Watts drawn, air moved in cubic metres per minute, and air moved per watt | Ceiling fans |
| Model and year of manufacturing or import | Which model was rated and when that unit was made or imported | Refrigerators, ACs, ceiling fans |
| Label period | The years for which the star table used is valid | Refrigerators, ACs, ceiling fans |
| Unique series code | A code printed on each label | Refrigerators, ACs, ceiling fans |
| QR code | Lets you call up the registered details on a phone | Refrigerators (on the fridge and the carton) |
A “unit” on the label is one kilowatt-hour (kWh): the refrigerator notification writes its star bands in kWh per year, and the label regulation calls the same figure units per year. It is the same unit your KSEB bill counts.
For example, suppose two refrigerators of a similar size show 200 and 250 units per year on their labels (figures chosen only to show the arithmetic). The gap is 50 units a year, a little over 4 units a month. Multiply that by the energy charge on your own KSEB bill to see what the gap is worth to you. The label figure comes from a laboratory test set by the Indian Standard IS 17550 (Part 3), not from a house.
Treat the yearly figure as a fair way to compare models in the shop, not as a forecast for your home. A refrigerator works harder in a hot kitchen, when the door is opened often, and when it is pushed against a wall with no gap for air. Leave the clearance around it that the user manual asks for.
Why the label period and model year matter
Every star table has a label period, the years for which it is valid. The refrigerator notification says the star plan is reviewed every two years. When revised standards start, products on sale must show the revised star level and label period. A 5-star label from an older label period was earned against an older table.
Room ACs show how far the bar can move. For split ACs, the lowest ISEER that earned 5 stars was 4.5 for the label period 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2022, and 5.0 for 1 July 2022 to 31 December 2024.
In the shop, read the label period and the year of manufacture together. If you are offered older stock at a discount, ask which star table it was rated under before you compare it with a newer model carrying the same stars.
How to check that a star label is genuine
Refrigerator labels must carry a QR code, on the front of the fridge and on the carton. BEE says the QR code lets a buyer pull up and check the details on the label from BEE's registered appliance database using a phone.
BEE also has a mobile app, BEE Star Label, for Android and iOS. It is linked to BEE's labelling database, and BEE says it lets you compare models, filter them by star rating, volume or energy use, and keep a photo of your purchase receipt.
BEE or its agency picks labelled models at random for check testing in third-party NABL-accredited laboratories. If a model fails the second round, the maker can be told to withdraw stock and correct the star level, and BEE may publish the brand and model in newspapers.
Using star labels when you buy for a Kerala home
Star-labelled room ACs up to a cooling capacity of 10,465 W must come with the temperature set to 24°C by default, a rule in force since 1 January 2020. You can still change the setting; the default is simply where the AC starts.
- Compare stars only between models of the same type and a similar size or capacity.
- Read the yearly units figure as well as the stars, especially for refrigerators.
- Check that the model number on the label matches the carton and your invoice.
- Keep the invoice and a photo of the label with your warranty papers.
- Before a new AC or geyser goes in, have a qualified electrician check the wiring, earthing and socket, and let the brand's authorised technician install it.
- If you have rooftop solar or plan to add it, list the yearly units of your main appliances so your installer can size the plant against your real use.
If an appliance trips the breaker, sparks or smells of burning, switch it off at the wall switch or the main switch only if you can reach it safely, then call an electrician or the brand's service centre. Do not open the appliance yourself. For problems with the meter or the supply line to your house, contact KSEB.
Check this against your bill
FGE Solar can review your latest KSEB bill and tell you which system size is worth pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 5-star appliance always better than a 3-star one?
Within the same type and size, the 5-star model is the more efficient one. Across sizes, a large 5-star refrigerator can still use more electricity in a year than a small 3-star refrigerator. Look at the units per year on both labels before deciding.
What does ISEER mean on an AC label?
ISEER stands for Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It compares the heat an AC can remove from a room over a year with the electricity it uses over the same year. A bigger ISEER number means more cooling for each unit of electricity.
Does the star rating on my old fridge change when the tables are revised?
No. The stars on an appliance you already own refer to the table in force when it was made. Star tables are revised over time, and models made after a revision are rated against the new table.
How can I tell whether a star label is genuine?
On a refrigerator, scan the QR code on the label or carton to compare its details with BEE's registered records. You can also look the model up in BEE's Star Label app. BEE separately check-tests labelled models in accredited laboratories.
Does every appliance in the shop need a star label?
No. Refrigerators, room ACs, geysers, colour TVs, ceiling fans and LED and tube lights must carry one. Products such as microwave ovens and LPG stoves are in the voluntary phase, so some models have no label.
Official Sources and Accuracy Note
- 01BEE Standards & Labelling page (beeindia.gov.in)
Mandatory and voluntary appliance lists, and the 2006 start of the star-label programme.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 02Refrigerators: MoP S.O. 4554(E) dated 26.09.2022 and BEE label regulations
Yearly kWh bands, label particulars, QR code, and two-year review of the star plan.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 03Room air conditioners: MoP S.O. 2528(E) as amended, and BEE label regulations 2017
ISEER definition, dated 5-star ISEER thresholds, and the 24°C default setting.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 04Ceiling fans: MoP S.O. 2210(E) dated 12.05.2022 and BEE label regulations
Service-value star bands and fan label particulars.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 05Storage water heaters: MoP S.O. 5776(E) dated 09.12.2022
Standing-loss star bands for storage geysers.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 06BEE Standards & Labelling: IT Tools, QR and App Portal
QR-code lookup and the BEE Star Label app.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09 - 07BEE Standards & Labelling: Check Testing page
Random check testing in NABL labs and follow-up if a model fails.
govt source · opened 2026-10-09
Accuracy note: This guide is built from government pages, regulator orders, and news sources on the web. Rules and amounts change. Some details may be outdated or wrong. Check the official links below before you pay, apply, or complain to KSEB.