{"id":45671,"date":"2025-06-18T21:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T15:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45671"},"modified":"2025-07-07T13:33:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T08:03:16","slug":"india-set-to-air-conditioner-temperature-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-06-2025\/india-set-to-air-conditioner-temperature-guidelines","title":{"rendered":"India is Set to Air Conditioner Temperature Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Governance, GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian government is planning to adopt new standards to cap air conditioner (AC) temperature settings between <strong>20 and 28 degrees Celsius <\/strong>to reduce peak power demand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Rising Cooling Demand in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cooling Demand Statistics:<\/strong> Cooling accounts for around 50 GW, or nearly 20% of India\u2019s peak power demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Growth in AC Usage:<\/strong> India currently has 10 crore ACs, with 1.5 crore units added every year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy-Saving Potential:<\/strong> Each <strong>1\u00b0C increase<\/strong> in AC temperature leads to <strong>6% electricity savings.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How do Air Conditioners Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An AC works by pumping heat from one space to another. ACs remove heat from indoor spaces<strong> <\/strong>using a <strong>vapour-compression cycle<\/strong> involving a<strong> refrigerant (liquid).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Components:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The evaporator<\/strong> absorbs heat and removes humidity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compressor<\/strong> compresses the vapour, consuming the most energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Condenser<\/strong> releases heat and transforms vapour back into liquid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The expansion device<\/strong> regulates pressure and temperature before recirculation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for Temperature Standardisation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)<\/strong> has recommended setting the default temperature at <strong>24\u00b0C.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Temperatures at 18\u201321\u00b0C<\/strong> in public buildings (airports, hotels, offices) does not enhance cooling performance, but leads to energy wastage and discomfort due to excessively cold environments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Comfort Standards:<\/strong> According to the <strong>comfort chart, <\/strong>temperatures up to <strong>25\u00b0C <\/strong>are comfortable when accompanied by adequate humidity and air movement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong> recommends maintaining indoor temperatures above 18\u00b0C to avoid adverse health impacts like <strong>respiratory infections, hypertension, and reduced cognitive function.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the Challenges?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only <strong>20% of ACs sold are 5-star<\/strong> rated. BEE\u2019s efficiency rating thresholds are lenient and due for stricter revision by 2028.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite having building codes like <strong>Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), <\/strong>implementation remains weak. Passive cooling designs must be incentivized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Promote Passive Cooling Designs:<\/strong> Encourage architectural features like cross-ventilation, shaded facades, thermal insulation, and green roofs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Incentivize through urban planning norms and affordable housing schemes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Awareness Campaigns:<\/strong> Educate consumers on the economic and health benefits of keeping ACs at 24\u201326\u00b0C.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stricter Energy Efficiency Norms:<\/strong> Gradually raise BEE standards and phase out inefficient models.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding Remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Air-conditioners are now indispensable in India due to rising temperatures, but unregulated and energy-intensive usage is straining both the power grid and the environment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Setting a regulated temperature range is a strategic and health-conscious intervention.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, to truly achieve sustainable cooling, complementary measures such as building design reforms, product efficiency upgrades, and public awareness campaigns must be integrated into a comprehensive national cooling policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)<\/strong><br>&#8211; It is a first-of-its-kind policy document from any country, aimed at addressing the rising cooling demand in a climate-sensitive and energy-efficient manner.<br>&#8211; It was launched by the <strong>Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC).<\/strong><br>&#8211; The India Cooling Action seeks to;<br>1. Reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38,&nbsp;<br>2. Reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38,&nbsp;Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38,&nbsp;<br>3. Recognize \u201ccooling and related areas\u201d as a thrust area of research under national S&amp;T Programme,&nbsp;<br>4. Training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/science-behind-setting-the-right-temperature-on-the-air-conditioner\/article69682514.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Read this in Hindi: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs-hindi\/18-06-2025\/%e0%a4%ad%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a4-%e0%a4%8f%e0%a4%af%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a1%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%b6%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a8-%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%ac%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a7%e0%a5%80-%e0%a4%a6%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b6%e0%a4%be-%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%b6-%e0%a4%b2%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%97%e0%a5%82\">\u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u090f\u092f\u0930 \u0915\u0902\u0921\u0940\u0936\u0928\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0924\u093e\u092a\u092e\u093e\u0928 \u0938\u0902\u092c\u0902\u0927\u0940 \u0926\u093f\u0936\u093e-\u0928\u093f\u0930\u094d\u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0932\u093e\u0917\u0942<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Indian government is planning to adopt new standards to cap air conditioner (AC) temperature settings between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius to reduce peak power demand.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Rising Cooling Demand in India<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Cooling Demand Statistics: Cooling accounts for around 50 GW, or nearly 20% of India\u2019s peak power demand.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Growth in AC Usage: India currently has 10 crore ACs, with 1.5 crore units added every year.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Energy-Saving Potential: Each 1\u00b0C increase in AC temperature leads to 6% electricity savings.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-06-2025\/india-set-to-air-conditioner-temperature-guidelines\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45671"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47110,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45671\/revisions\/47110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}