Indian AC’s to have a Lower Limit of 24 Degrees

R.K. Singh, the Power Minister stated that the government has decided to consider to make 24° the compulsory default setting for ACs (air conditioners).

Singh has also made a proposal to have labels setting on AC depicting the optimal temperature, which would be beneficial for consumers in both the financial and health point of view. This was stated by the Power Ministry in a statement in the meeting. It also said that the setting of temperature will be in the range of 24°C to 26°C.

A campaign was launched by Mr Singh, which was organised to promote the energy efficiency in the areas where air conditioners are used. The statement quoted him by saying that after every 1°C increase in the temperature of the air conditioner setting saves up to 6% of the electricity consumed. It was taken into notice that a large number of commercials, advertisements, hotels, and offices maintain the temperature nearly between 18-21°C, but 36-37°C is approximately the normal body temperature, which is not only unhealthy but also very much uncomfortable.

He also added that making the temperature settings in the range of 18°C to 21°C forces people to make the use of blankets and also wear warm clothes, which is a proper waste of energy. Even some countries have put a regulation on the AC temperature settings which is at 28°C.

He said that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the guidance of Ministry of Power has carried out a study and has advised keeping the default setting of the AC at 24°C. This new implication will result in more energy savings and will automatically reduce the greenhouse gases emission in the air.

The Minister also added that in the beginning, an advisory will be issued to all the manufacturers and establishes. Then, there will a four to six months of the awareness campaign, which will be followed up by a process of gathering public feedback through a survey. Minister said that after all these steps, the Ministry of Power would make it compulsory.

It is been estimated by Power Ministry that if norms are adopted by all the consumers then there will be savings of around 20 billion units of electricity in just one year.

Moreover, the heads of the AC makers have given a positive response to this decision and have also appreciated the work done by the Ministry. A statement said that they have properly agreed to support this campaign.

According to the information provided by BEE that if the current market trend goes on then by 2030, the total connected load due to the air conditioning in India will 200 GW. Not only this, it will keep on increasing with time as about 6% of households use ACs. BEE has made a current rough estimate that total installed air conditioner capacity in the country is around 80 million TR, i.e., Ton of Refrigeration or 3.517 KW. This will definitely increase by 2030 to 250 million TR. So keeping in mind this huge demand, India can save some amount of electricity every day, i.e. 40 million units.

Hotels, airports, shopping malls, government buildings, and offices are included under the targeted commercial buildings.

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