Commercial beverage coolers, or visi coolers, are glass-fronted refrigerators used in stores and restaurants to display bottled and canned drinks. According to the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), this sector will grow 2-fold in the next decade and 6-fold in the following one, increasing energy use by 2.2 to 6 times.

While domestic refrigeration in India is regulated for energy efficiency, many commercial refrigeration products are not yet covered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) standards and labeling program. Given the growing market, BEE plans to introduce energy efficiency labels for visi coolers to promote more efficient models. CLASP supports BEE by conducting market assessments and developing efficiency policies for these appliances.

CLASP’s market analysis of visi coolers in India revealed several key findings:

• In India, visi coolers vary widely in demand and popularity across the market.
• About 75% of manufacturers specialize in models with capacities ranging from 200 to 500 liters, expected to last around 7 years on average.
• International suppliers play a significant role in the visi coolers market, with 30% of parts imported from countries like China, South Korea, Thailand, and Slovakia.
• Many visi coolers in the market remain in use for more than 7 years, indicating their longevity.
• Different types of stores use visi coolers differently; for example, dairy shops use coolers to keep milk and dairy products cool, while smaller stores may switch the coolers off when product is cold.
• Overloading of shelves and frequent opening can reduce cooling efficiency and increase energy consumption.
• Single-door visi coolers are prevalent due to space constraints in stores.
• Furthermore, single-door models constitute almost 90% of production, while nearly 100% of respondents manufacture floor-standing, vertical visi coolers.

The labeling program for commercial beverage cooler was launched under voluntary phase by BEE on 1st March, 2024. The validity of the program will be from 1st March, 2024 to 31st December, 2026.

The program is expected to reduce energy expenditure by 11.67 billion kWh from 2024–2034, and reduce CO2 emissions by 8.35 MtCO2.