The Government of India (GOI) set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power 1st March 2002 in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, to develop policies and strategies to reduce the energy intensity of the Indian economy.

To achieve the aim of bringing down the energy intensity of economy, BEE launched the S&L certification scheme to realize the benefits of energy efficiency through reduced energy consumption in household electrical appliances. The major objective of the regulation is to give the consumer an informed choice about the energy-saving (and thereby, cost-saving) potential of the marketed product.

Products regulated must be approved by BEE and have star label marked affixed on it in order to be manufactured/sold in the Indian market and thus, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer/ importer/ trader of the product to meet the energy performance standards laid out by the department.