India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, the cooling demand of the country is also rising exponentially with around four trillion ‘person cooling degree days’ (the sum of daily mean temperatures above 18.3°C [65°F] multiplied with population)’ accompanied with lack of purchasing power amongst the majority of the households to buy refrigerant based air conditioners for achieving thermal comforti&ii. With this pressing need for cooling, there rises a need for affordable and sustainable non-refrigerant based cooling technologies such as ceiling fans which will not only be affordable and provide cooling for all but will also reduce user’s dependency on high GWP based cooling technologies. This would enable India’s pursuit of meeting the nationally determined contribution (NDC) 2030 targets for emission reduction along with India’s commitment in Kigali amendment and Montreal protocol.
Figure 1: BLDC Ceiling Fan Installed at AEEE Office
Source: AEEE
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will be mandating the standards and labelling (S&L) norms for ceiling fans by January 2022iii. As per India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) 2019, this would result in energy savings upto 15%, but a leapfrog could be achieved by shifting directly to the best available technology that is BLDC fans. In support of this, BRPL under demand side management initiatives has launched a ‘BRPL 5 star rated super energy efficient brushless direct current (BLDC) fan replacement’ scheme for residential consumers.
What is BRPL Fan Replacement Scheme?
BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) in 2020 has launched a limited period fan replacement scheme for domestic consumers in Delhi as a part of its demand side management initiative. The program is commonly known as ‘BRPL 5 star rated super energy efficient brushless direct current (BLDC) fan replacement’ scheme allows consumers to reduce their household energy consumption  and electricity bill by around INR 1500 annually by switching to the ‘BEE 5 star rated super energy efficient BLDC ceiling fan’ (From herein the term ‘BEE 5 star rated super energy efficient BLDC ceiling fan’ and ‘BEE 5 Star BLDC’ will be used as ‘BLDC ceiling fans’, in this blog), provided under this replacement scheme. Currently, this scheme could be availed by the West Delhi and South Delhi consumers. However, there may be possibilities of extending this or a similar scheme for the broader target areas, across India.
A BLDC fan contains a brushless DC motor which has a longer life span as compared to a standard ceiling fan motor. Due to lesser heat generation, the lifespan of the bearings increases and reduces the possibilities of short-circuiting, which in turn reduces the lifecycle cost of the device.
Figure 2: Annual Energy Consumption by Non-star and Star Rated Ceiling Fans
BLDC ceiling fan is more efficient than a non-star rated ceiling fan as shown in Figure 2. It consumes one-third electricity and saves up to 63 per cent of energy. Likewise, in comparison to a one-star rated ceiling fan, a BLDC ceiling fan offers energy savings of up to 47 per cent.
Table 1: Details of the OEMs and Fan Model Covered Under This Scheme
|
S. No |
Name of the OEM |
Model Name |
Colors Available |
Warranty |
MRP (INR) |
Type of Purchase |
Cost to consumers with 3 year warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Ram Ratna Electricals Ltd. |
MH CLASSIC |
White/ Matte Brown |
3 Years |
4290 |
Buyback |
1384 |
|
Without Buy back |
1484 |
||||||
|
2 |
Halonix Technologies Private Limited |
PLASMA |
White/ Brown |
3 Years |
3800 |
Buyback |
1505 |
|
Without Buy back |
1740 |
||||||
|
3 |
Atomberg Technologies Pvt. Ltd. |
Efficio |
White/ Mattie Black/ Matte Brown/ Ivory |
3 Years |
3690 |
Buyback |
2182 |
|
Without Buy back |
2253 |
Source: Adapted from BRPL, 2020. Fan Replacement Scheme. [Online] Available at: https://www.bsesdelhi.com/web/brpl/brpl-fan-replacement-scheme
Under this scheme, BRPL has collaborated with three prevalent original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) namely Ram Ratna Electricals Ltd., Halonix Technologies Private Ltd. and Atomberg Technologies Private Limited. Consumers can choose from any model based on their preference and choice of manufacturer, as shown in Table 1. Consumers are provided with varied colour options for these models which make this scheme more attractive and supports the uptake of BLDC ceiling fans in the residential sector, where aesthetics play a key role.
The residential consumers are provided with two choices for transitioning towards super energy efficient technology and practicing energy efficiency at the household level. The consumers can either opt for purchasing two new BLDC ceiling fans without the buy-back offer at a discount of 65 per cent on maximum retail price (MRP). The discounted cost of these fans under the new purchase category ranges from 1484 INR to 2253 INR.
Otherwise, the second option available for the consumers is opting for the replacement of three old ceiling fans with BLDC ceiling fans at a discount of 68 per cent on the MRP. The discounted cost of these fans under the buy-back category ranges from 1384 INR to 2182 INR. The highest price which has to be paid by the consumer under this scheme for purchasing a BLDC ceiling fan is around 1437 INR cheaper than the MRP of that specific model, as shown in Table 1. The scheme provides fans with 1200 mm sweep size as standard, under both the categories that are a new purchase and buy-back respectively.
This scheme will be available to residential consumers till 20th March 2021 or until the 50,000 ceiling fan stocks last. Around 40,000 BLDC ceiling fans are in stock under buy-back category and around 10,000 BLDC ceiling fans are available under new purchase category.
Why Should a Household opt for this Scheme?
This replacement of conventional non-star rated ceiling fan with BLDC Ceiling Fan will lead to multiple benefits and co-benefits for the end-consumers, as displayed in the comparative below:
Figure 3: Benefits of BLDC ceiling fan over an old non-star rated ceiling fan, under the BRPL fan replacement scheme 2020
Some of the other added advantages of the BLDC fan includes:
- No impact of voltage fluctuation: these fans run smoothly even during voltage fluctuations.
- There is No humming noise
- There is No heating of fan
- Remote-controlledoperability in all the fans
- Helps in reducing space cooling demandand associated carbon footprint
- A step towards sustainability at home
- Last but not least, on enrolling under this scheme, the consumers will be supporting ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government of India
How to Avail the Benefit of this Scheme?
Any BRPL residential consumer who does not have pending bills can apply for this scheme. In case a consumer opts for the buy-back option, then the old ceiling fans must be in working condition. During COVID-19 times, where one avoids travelling, this scheme offers a hassle-free replacement/purchase option through the BRPL website by following the steps mentioned below:
Step 1: A consumer has to open BRPL website and then they need to select ‘what’s new’ section/tab under which they will find an option for ‘fan replacement scheme’, as shown in Figure 4, which the user needs to select.
Figure 4: Step 1
Source: BRPL, 2020. BRPL. [Online] Available at: https://www.bsesdelhi.com/web/brpl/home#loaded
Step 2: After selecting this, a new page will appear. At the bottommost of that page, under the list of BLDC ceiling fans OEMs which are available under the scheme, there will be a hyperlink option for ‘registration’, as shown in Figure 5, which the user needs to select.
Figure 5: Step 2
Source: BRPL, 2020. Fan Replacement Scheme. [Online] Available at: https://www.bsesdelhi.com/web/brpl/brpl-fan-replacement-scheme
Step 3:Â After selecting this, it will take the user to a new page (DSM Page) where the consumer needs to register, as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Step 3 – DSM Registration Page
Source: BRPL, 2020. Demand Side Management. [Online] Available at: http://125.22.84.50:9810/DSM/frmLoginWeb.aspx
For registration, the mentioned personal details will be required: Name, CA No, Email, Mobile; an alternate mobile number is compulsory to complete the registration process.
Step 4: After registration, the consumer needs to fill the DSM form. Under the DSM form the user needs to select for the ‘FAN’ option, manufacture, model, colour of the BLDC ceiling fan of their choice. The following information should be kept handy and are required to be submitted under the DSM from:
Under documentation: electricity bill, identity proof and address proof issued by the government of registered consumer, NOC from the registered consumer in case tenant is opting for scheme, copy of latest BRPL bill with a receipt confirming no overdue, NOC from the president of CGHS with Individual Energy Meter Number. The scheme also provides the option to submit these at the consumer help desk (CHD) at the divisional office in south and west Delhi. If one applies online, a dedicated field executive will visit the consumer’s household at their convenience for collecting required documents for registration and will do registration on consumer’s behalf.
After submitting the form, a registration number will appear, which can be used by the users to track the application status. BRPL has also provided WhatsApp number and a helpline number if a consumer wants to reach out to the authorities. There is also a provision of submitting the documents offline at the consumer help desk (CHD) at user’s divisional office or the OEM sales team themselves could visit user’s home at their convenience for document collection, for registration. Details have been provided in the scheme’s FAQ section on the BRPL website, about the companies from where this request could be raised.
Go and avail the benefit of this exciting and energy efficient scheme now and, contribute your bit towards a sustainable environment !!
The article has been based on: BRPL, 2020. FAN REPLACEMENT SCHEME FAQ. [Online] Available at: https://www.bsesdelhi.com/web/brpl/brpl-fan-replacement-scheme-faq
The blog has been written by Srishti Sharma, Research Associate and Akhil Singhal, Senior Research Associate.
Payback Period Calculator
The consumer may use the below-displayed calculator to check the annual savings from their chosen BLDC ceiling fan, selected from this scheme and the related pay-back period; this will help consumers make an informed purchase decision.
The following information would be required to use the calculator:
- Average electricity unit usage rate. The average electricity unit rate is taken as INR 10, as default, for calculation. However, the unit rate could be changed if known to the user.
- No. of Fans
- Average Hours of operation
