原创 印度正在走向绿色节能吗？

今年早些时候，我发表了一篇博客，介绍印度能源效率局(BEE)的星级标签计划是如何大力推进和增加新产品的。（请参阅博客：印度能源效率局(BEE)星级标签将包括笔记本产品。）在当时，BEE涵盖了12种产品，现在这一数字已增至14。

据《印度商业在线》(The Hindu Business Line)近期刊载的一篇文章称，尽管产品标价更高，但节能产品的销量却一直在增长。文章援引了Market Xcel Data Matrix最近的一项研究数据 — 51%的受访者确认他们知道能效标签，这表明印度公民已开始接受该国的星级标签计划。

LG印度公司首席执行官Rajeev Jain注意到，在他们所销售的冰箱中有超过70%的冰箱为五星级产品（最高能效水平）。夏普和松下等公司的高管也证实节能产品在印度市场的需求量正在不断增长的趋势。

在像印度这样的发展中国家中，节能产品的普及至关重要，因为根据现有的发电能力，尚无法满足日益增长的电能需求。

如下附英文全文，或者请访问《印度商业在线》网站。

Durable shoppers now on power saving mode

Indian consumers are becoming power conscious and opting for energy-efficient appliances even if such products cost much more.

Conscious of this trend, manufacturers are introducing ranges of energy-efficient products.

At LG India, the country's top durables manufacturer, more than 70 per cent of refrigerators sold are five-star rated units – rated for energy efficiency by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). LG says the demand for energy efficient televisions is also picking up. “Star rated products save up to 37 per cent energy,” claims Mr Rajeev Jain, Business Head, Home Appliances, LG India.

Mr Jain adds that the cost of such products is 10-15 per cent higher than the price of non-star rated products.

Mr Sunil Sinha, CEO, Sharp Corporation, India, says that 30 per cent of the company's air-conditioner sales were accounted by higher priced inverter AC product.

Inverter ACs are smart products in which the compressor changes frequency according to the ambient load and cools according to the need. The claim is it cuts energy bills by 40-50 per cent.

According to Mr Sinha, the big difference in prices, surprisingly, does not deter consumer. A 1.5-tonne Sharp AC costs Rs 32,000 while its inverter AC range starts at Rs 47,000. Most of the durable makers Business Line spoke with confirmed this trend.

Mr Pradeep Bakshi, COO of the Unitary Products Business, Voltas, said, “We have noticed the change in the consumer preference from non-energy efficient products to energy-efficient products. Thus, we have started targeting the maturing customers in metros and non-metros to upgrade to this technology.”

He says Voltas has introduced five energy saving AC models this year. Voltas has also launched a DC inverter technology model, Ecotron, that claims to save up to 40 per cent power consumption. Blue Star, too, launched an inverter AC model this summer.

Panasonic's Director, Marketing and Sales, Mr Manish Sharma, says the company has over 300 energy star qualifying models in diverse categories now. In fact, the power theme has now become rather pivotal for durables makers in their marketing campaigns. For the second year running, Mr Bakshi says, Voltas continued its ‘Sensible Cooling' campaign that talks about savings in a customer's electricity bills.

Just last month, Market Xcel Data Matrix, a market research firm, came out with a survey that showed that energy efficiency labels have begun playing a role in the purchase decision of consumer durables. According to its study, 51 per cent of the respondents it spoke with were aware of energy efficiency labels, and 65 per cent of these respondents considered the efficiency aspect when they made the buy decision.

The Ministry of Power, through the BEE, has been driving a campaign to make appliance majors switch to more star-rated products.