Getting BEE certification is easier than you think

Author: Jatin Rohatgi

Gone are the day when Air conditioners only belonged to a select class of people. Those were the times when buying an Air conditioner was like hanging an albatross around your neck – considering that it would keep getting heavy because of rising electric bills. However, BEE certification came and changed the game.

As per the new rules, BEE or Bureau of Energy Efficiency established that most electronics and electrical devices are required to have a star rating. The higher the star rating, the higher the energy efficiency and thus, the lower the energy consumption. This created a new wave of products.

Now, air conditioners changed their technology. While they were exclusively focusing on providing the basic function – cooling the room – they started focusing on reduction of energy. Still to this day, they are racing towards getting that star rating through BEE certification.

Are you one of those?

If so, then you should know that getting BEE registration is easier than you think.

How to get BEE certification

The process of BEE certification, India doesn’t require the conventional steps of application filing, assessment and then certification. But instead, it requires the method of, Testing, verification and certification.

  1. Step 1: Testing

    1. First send a sample of your product to a lab to get your equipment tested. The lab has to be accredited by the NABL.

    2. Once the test is complete, take the test report and sign it. At the same time, get an affidavit saying that you believe that the test report is the true representation of your product.

    3. Attach the test report with the documents required:

      1. Trademark certificate of the brand

      2. BIS certificate if you have it

      3. Details regarding the manufacturing facility

      4. QMC or ISO certificate to showcase the quality of your manufacturing company or plant

      5. Extra product samples to submit to the department for the retest

      6. Declaration letter. Within this letter, you’d declare that you believe that whatever you’ve submitted is true.

      7. Cover Letter. It’s to make your case of getting BEE certified. There are some electronic products that require and some that don’t. As you’re an air conditioner vendor, you definitely do. So, don’t forget to mention that your BEE certification requirements are mandatory.

  2. Verification:

    1. Once you’ve gotten the test results and have put together the documents as per the BEE certificate requirements, you have to file the application.

    2. You can register BEE certificate online through the above process. However, the process doesn’t end there. In addition to filing the online application filing, including the BEE certification cost online payment, you need to submit the documents offline.

    3. Bureau of energy, upon receiving your application and the attachments, will initiate the verification process.

    4. Through this verification process, the Bureau would determine whether or not your equipment deserves to be star rating.

    5. Following are the criteria that the BEE would judge your application:

      1. The correctness of your attachments.

      2. The efficacy of the readings in the test reports.

      3. The correctness of your claims regarding the quality of your product.

      4. The correctness of your claims regarding the production quality of your manufacturing factory.

      5. How does your product compares to the tests that BEE conducts.

  3. Certification:

    1. As the application is going through assessment, it’s better that you monitor the progress. As someone with a business to run, you can’t expect yourself to be that vigilant. That’s why, contact BEE consultants.

    2. If there are any issues with your application, you’ll be informed. Depending on the severity of the issues, you might need to re-file the application or re do the tests on your product.

    3. If the application is accepted, you’ll get the BEE certificate. In that certificate you’ll receive the star rating.

Conclusion

While you’re racing towards the star rating, remember that it won’t always be 5 stars. At the end of the day, BEE certification only gives you a star rating, and with it, the right to use it as a marketing gimmick to attract customers. However, in case you’re not satisfied with the rating, you can file a appeal. Or, you can go back to the drawing board and start the process again. Whatever you choose, you can make things easier if you have BEE consultants with you. So, isn’t getting BEE certification easier than you realize?