Limits on AC temperature could help save energy – and be good for your health
A Union minister’s statement that the government plans to regulate air conditioner temperatures to save energy has sparked discussion and some criticism.
On June 10, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar announced that India will soon conduct an experiment to standardise AC temperatures, restricting air conditioners from cooling below 20 degrees celsius or heating beyond 28 degrees celsius.
"We have decided… to bring uniformity to air conditioning use and help reduce excessive power consumption due to extremely low cooling settings," the former Haryana chief minister told the media.
The announcement was met with criticism on the grounds that the government is interfering in people’s personal choices; supporters on the other hand say it might not be a bad idea, given how much electricity is consumed by room air conditioners in the fraction of India’s households that can afford them, and given how consumption is only going to increase.
Among AC-owning households in India, only 40% run ACs at a temperature setting of 24 degrees celsius or above.
If ACs are set at 20 degrees celsius and above instead of 16 degrees celsius, not only can consumers save on power bills but it also spares energy for the most marginalised in a country where the electric fans used by the...
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