Avg power usage spikes by 25 per cent in Delhi this summer: Study

The hotter it gets, the more power we use to run air conditioners, which in turn, puts all climate change mitigation and energy security actions in the red, a study has revealed.

A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday said the average power consumption in the national capital during peak heatwave days in June increased by 25 per cent compared with the season's average.

Environment experts suggested that buildings must be designed for thermal comfort to minimise the use of mechanical cooling systems.

The CSE's new study, "A Midsummer Nightmare", based on eight-year trend analysis of electricity consumption in Delhi, said, "Average electricity consumption in Delhi during the peak heatwave days of June 7-12, 2019, increased by 25 per cent compared to the season's average. This trend is expected to worsen nationally as the heat index and climatic stress are continuously increasing."
Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, Sustainable Habitat team in the CSE, said, "The demand for space cooling in buildings is expected to explode and upset the energy budget of India. Cooling energy consumption in buildings is likely to double in the next decade and become nearly four times in the next two decades compared with the 2017-18 baseline."