Power Ministry asks AC manufacturers to regulate default settings

The Ministry of Power on Friday advised companies to regulate default air conditioner (AC) settings in order to promote energy efficiency.

While holding a meeting with major air-conditioner manufacturers in the national capital, Power Minister R K Singh asked to maintain default temperature setting at 24 degrees Celsius, which may also be made mandatory at a later stage.

"Every one degree increase in the air-conditioner temperature setting results in saving of six percent of electricity consumed," Singh said.

"Normal human body temperature is approximately 36 to 37 degree Celsius, but large number of commercial establishments, hotels and offices maintain temperature around 18 to 21 degree Celsius, which is not only uncomfortable but is actually unhealthy," he added.

During the meeting, the minister also pointed out that some countries like Japan have put in place regulation to keep the temperature at 28 degree Celsius.

The power ministry also launched an awareness campaign around air conditioning in order to achieve substantial energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the meeting, manufacturers were also advised to set labels on air conditioners which indicate the optimum temperature settings as part of consumer awareness. The temperature setting will be in the range of 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. The government also plans to send an advisory to establishments and manufacturers in this regard.

According to a research done by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the total connected load in India due to air conditioning will be 200 GW by 2030 going by the current market trends.