What does the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) star label for visi coolers rate, and is it mandatory?
BEE launched a voluntary star label for commercial beverage coolers, called visi coolers, on 1 March 2024, valid to 31 December 2026. Stars are based on equivalent volume in litres and annual energy use. BEE expects 11.67 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) saved between 2024 and 2034.
What the release says
- A visi cooler is a self-contained bottle cooler with a transparent glass front door, storing bottled or canned drinks for sale in retail outlets.
- Launched under the voluntary phase, with validity till 31 December 2026. Check what applies from 1 January 2027.
- The star rating will be based on equivalent volume (litres) and annual energy consumption.
- Expected result: energy savings of 11.67 billion kWh between 2024 and 2034 and a potential reduction of 8.35 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the same period.
How to use it as a buyer
Two coolers of the same litres can use very different power, so compare annual kWh at equal volume. The release says the rating is built from those two inputs, so ask for both. Do not use BEE's national projections for your own report; they are projections over ten years, not your shop's measurement. The release does not give the rating bands.
On your meter
If the cooler runs on your own electricity connection, its kWh sit in the monthly bill with everything else. A sub-meter on one unit shows what it really uses.
Three coolers in a shop (example)
- Annual use, example: 1,400 kWh a cooler
- Three coolers: 3 x 1,400 = 4,200 kWh a year
- At 0.675 kilograms of CO2 per kWh (financial year (FY) 2025-26 grid): 4,200 x 0.675 = 2,835 kilograms of CO2 a year
- A model that uses 15 percent less: 4,200 x 0.15 = 630 kWh, or 425 kilograms of CO2
The 1,400 kWh a year and the 15 percent are examples, not label values.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into monthly records, so the kilowatt hours on your bills before and after a change sit in one place.
- Supermarket display freezer electricity
- Star label programme size
- BEE star label: mandatory or voluntary
- Grid electricity emission factor
Last reviewed 2026-11-05. Definition, validity, rating inputs and projected savings are from the Press Information Bureau release of 1 March 2024. The validity ends on 31 December 2026, so check today's status and bands with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.