3 Star vs 5 Star Geyser: What the Difference Means for Your Bill

A 5 star geyser loses less heat while it sits full of hot water, and that is the whole difference. It does not heat water faster, and it does not make your bath cheaper to heat. The saving is real but modest, usually a few hundred rupees a year for a family that uses the geyser every day. In the Orient Electric range the choice is easier than it sounds, because the 5 star storage geysers start at Rs. 5,899 and some of them cost less than the lower-rated models. This guide shows what the star rating measures, what it saves in rupees and where a lower rating is fine.

What a BEE star rating measures

For storage geysers, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency rates a geyser on its standing loss. This is the energy a full, hot tank uses over 24 hours just to hold its temperature, with no water drawn, measured at a fixed difference of 45 degrees C between the water and the room. The less energy a geyser needs to stay hot, the more stars it earns. BEE sets the limits within each tank size, so a 5 star 25L geyser and a 5 star 10L geyser are not compared with each other. It revises the bands from time to time, so the label on the box is the figure to trust.

That has three practical meanings.

•      A 5 star geyser does not heat faster. Heating speed depends on the element power, not the star rating.

•      The energy to heat your bath water is the same. Warming the same litres of water by the same amount takes the same energy, whatever the stars.

•      The saving comes from the hours the tank sits hot. The longer the geyser stays on and full, the more a lower standing loss is worth.

Our guide to how geyser power consumption is calculated covers units and the formula. Here we look at what the stars add on top.

What a 5 star geyser saves: a worked example

The exact gap between a 3 star and a 5 star geyser depends on the two models, so the table uses three assumed differences in daily standing loss. It turns each into units and rupees a year at Rs. 8 a unit, with the geyser in use every day.

These are assumed gaps, not measured ones. Read the label on each model for its real standing loss, and use your own tariff from your electricity bill.

To see the scale, take a family of four where each person uses about 20 litres of bath-temperature water a day. With the tap at 20 degrees C, heating that water takes about 1.9 units a day, or about Rs. 15 a day at Rs. 8 a unit. Over a year that is about Rs. 5,400. The star saving in the table is a few percent of that. How you use the geyser matters far more than its stars, and our tips to reduce winter water heating costs show where the bigger savings are: switching off when it is not needed, a moderate temperature setting and the right size.

Where 5 star matters more

•      Daily, all-season use. A geyser that runs every day holds heat for the most hours.

•      Cold bathrooms in winter. A 55 degree tank in a 10 degree room gives a 45 degree gap, exactly the test condition. In a cold bathroom the tank loses heat faster, so a lower standing loss counts for a little more.

•      Larger tanks. A bigger tank has more surface to lose heat from, so the saving between stars is larger on a 25L than on a 10L.

•      A geyser you will keep for years. Savings add up over a long life. Look at the warranty as well, since it shows how long the tank and element are covered.

Where a lower rating is fine

•      A guest bathroom or holiday home where the geyser runs only a few days a month.

•      A wall that decides the model. The Aquaslim Horizontal is a 3 star geyser that lies flat where a standing tank will not fit. Pick it for the wall, not the rating.

•      A build you want for other reasons. The Ecoswift Pro is a 4 star geyser with a rust-proof body.

The star rating and the price in the Orient Electric range

The common worry is that 5 star costs more. In this range, it often does not.

At 15L, the 4 star Ecoswift Pro costs Rs. 7,750, which is Rs. 1,351 more than the 5 star Enamour Classic Pro at Rs. 6,399. The 3 star Aquaslim Horizontal costs Rs. 9,120, Rs. 805 more than the 5 star Aquator at Rs. 8,315. In both cases the lower rating costs more, because the price is set by the tank, the build and the warranty, not only the star. So you rarely have to pay extra to get 5 star. See every storage geyser, the 15 litre geysers and the 25 litre geysers side by side, or our model guides for 15 litre and 25 litre.

What to check beyond the stars

•      Hard water. A glassline tank, as in the Aquator, Aquanova Neo and Aquator Neo, matters more over the years than a star. Our hard water geyser guide and the glassline vs polymer coated comparison explain why.

•      Warranty. Compare the tank and element warranty for each model.

•      Size. An oversized geyser holds more heat than you need. The geyser capacity guide helps you pick the right one.

•      Pressure. If you live in a tall building, read about geysers for high-rise buildings.

Our geyser buying guide and storage geyser buying guide cover every other decision.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Is a 5 star geyser worth the extra cost?

A: In this range there is often no extra cost. The Enamour Classic Pro is 5 star from Rs. 5,899, and several 5 star models cost less than the 4 star and 3 star ones. Where a 5 star model does cost more, the table shows it takes about 3.5 years to repay an extra Rs. 1,000 at an assumed 0.10 units a day, so it pays for itself with daily use over a long life.

Q: Does a 5 star geyser heat water faster?

A: No. The star rating measures how much heat the tank loses while it is idle and hot. How fast the water heats depends on the element power.

Q: How much can a 5 star geyser save?

A: It depends on the two models. If a 5 star geyser loses 0.10 units a day less than a 3 star one, it saves about 37 units a year, or about Rs. 292 at Rs. 8 a unit. Read the label on each model for its real figure, and see how geyser power consumption is calculated for your own tariff.

Q: Do instant geysers have star ratings?

A: The star rating scheme is for storage geysers, so our instant geysers do not carry one. With an instant geyser, the energy you use depends on the minutes it runs, so use it for the sink and switch it off when you are done. See instant and storage geysers for the comparison.

Q: Is a 5 star geyser better for winter?

A: Slightly, yes. In winter the geyser runs for more hours and the bathroom is colder, so the heat a tank loses matters more. The test condition of a 45 degree gap matches a 55 degree tank in a 10 degree room. For a winter-ready choice, also check the capacity, as a bigger tank gives more bath water on cold mornings, as our capacity guide explains.

Browse all storage geysers, or look at glassline geysers and horizontal geysers if the tank or the wall is your main concern.