EESL to procure 2 lakh units in phase-II of 'super-efficient'

State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) on Tuesday said it will procure 2 lakh units in the second phase of its 'Super-Efficient Air Conditioning Programme' by March next year.

EESL CGM (Technical) S P Garnaik said the procurement in February and March will likely be to the tune of Rs 600 crore.

"Given our past experience, we expect a price reduction of 15 per cent from the current (market) levels, when we procure 2 lakh units," Garnaik told PTI.

He was in the city to announce the launch of the programme here.

In February 2019, EESL -- a joint venture of four PSUs under the Ministry of Power -- had launched the programme for residential and institutional consumers.

It has an inventory of 50,000, 1.5-ton inverter ACs in the first phase, priced at Rs 41,300 (without installation).

"Our ACs are 20 per cent more energy-efficient than 5 star models in the market, and cheaper by 15-20 per cent. The first phase of the program is restricted to metro and large cities. We have received orders for 13,000 units within a month of launch," Garnaik said.

He, however, said reaching out to consumers is a factor for slow movement of the project, despite discounted prices.

The programme directly addresses the prospect of an almost four-fold increase in energy consumption from buildings and cooling appliances in India by 2032, the official added.