India to extend fuel efficiency labeling scheme

India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) revealed plans to extend its “star labeling” program which would indicate the energy saving capability of passenger cars. Officials said that BEE will formulate a plan to evaluate the fuel efficiency of cars of similar capacity and weight and assign them a certain number of stars to indicate the result of the evaluation. As the BEE’s voluntary standards and labeling program for energy efficiency which covers 11 products, including refrigerators and room air conditioners, has proved successful, the BEE is considering making the labeling program mandatory by January 2010 for refrigerators, room air conditioners, tubular fluorescent lamps and distribution transformers. In the future, other products would also be required to bear the labels. (June 25, 2009)