Editorial: Cool idea from India’s government

India’s proposal to fix the lower limit of air-conditioner temperature at 20 degrees C deserves favourable consideration, given the potential savings and the positive impact on the environment

The Centre’s recent proposal to fix the lower limit of air conditioner temperature at 20 degrees C for all the new units has triggered a polarising debate in the country. Some may argue that it is a case of government overreach and an infringement on consumers’ choice, but the move must be seen in the context of measures aimed at saving the environment. It serves an important purpose in raising public awareness about the responsible use of ACs. This will also address the issue of rising electricity demand for air-conditioning. The proposal also builds on earlier government initiatives, such as setting 24 degrees C as the default temperature in ACs and recommending the same for malls and office spaces. It is said that every single degree raised in AC temperature reduces power consumption by 6 per cent. Scaled up to a nation of over 1.4 billion people and a USD 3 billion AC market, the energy and cost savings are potentially huge. However, a section of consumers see the government’s new proposal on temperature restriction as an invasion of their personal freedom. Some have even come up with memes and sarcastic hashtags on social media platforms to denounce the move. However, the idea deserves favourable consideration, given the potential savings and the positive impact on the environment. India’s energy demand from cooling is expected to soar in the next two decades. Without efficiency standards, power shortages could return as AC ownership rises beyond metro cities into tier-2 and rural belts.

A small shift from 18 degrees C to 20 degrees C can save enough electricity to power millions of homes each month, a staggering figure in an energy-hungry nation. While the government is justified to pre-emptively shape consumption habits in the overall interest of the environment, the messaging should be made more palatable and effective. For instance, it can consider giving incentives to AC manufacturers who voluntarily set higher temperatures or discounts on ACs with eco-friendly pre-sets. There is a need to build consensus on this instead of making it sound like a top-down bureaucratic imposition. People must be made part of policy-making. While ACs offer much-needed comfort from the heat, they are also energy-intensive. Most of India’s electricity still comes from coal, which contributes heavily to global climate change. When a large number of people use ACs simultaneously, it strains the electricity grid, increasing the risk of power cuts. As a long-term measure, the need for air-conditioning can be significantly reduced or even eliminated with changes in building design. While energy-efficient building codes already exist, their implementation has been limited and patchy. Efforts should also be made to improve the efficiency of ACs. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) mandates a star-rating system, with 1-star models being the least efficient and 5-star models the most. Only about 20 per cent of ACs purchased in the market today are 5-star variants.

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