Refrigerators will become more expensive this year; details of prices

Normally, things that are used in summers get cheaper in winters. However, in the case of refrigerators, the prices are expected to go up in the near future. This is because of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's new rules that came into effect on January 1.

The Bureau of Energy Effiency's revised rules have been implemented from January 1. According to companies like Godrej, Haier, Panasonic, customers may be asked to pay 2-5 percent more.

The government has made it mandatory to label frost-free fridge's freezer and refrigerator provisioning units separately. This will increase the input cost.

The cost of making the fridge energy efficient will increase the cost of manufacturing by up to 3 percent. 

However, this will depend on different models and star ratings.

Godrej's Executive Vice President Kamal Nandi told PTI that since they will have to label the items separately, the cost of refrigerators is expected to go up by 2-3 percent.

Nandi said the companies will have to notify the net capacity of refrigerators. Net capacity means the capacity that can be actually used by consumers.

Panasonic's Managing Editor Fumiyasu Fuzimori said the prices will be increased by 5 percent.