Will AC's temperature range be fixed between 20 to 28 degrees Celsius? Here's what govt says
The government is unlikely to implement the air conditioner temperature range of 20 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius anytime soon, PTI quoted Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav as saying on Friday, adding it will be introduced gradually over time.
On being asked when the new AC temperature range would be implemented, the minister stated that any such situation "may arise only after 2050".
"I do not think it will happen immediately; capacities will be gradually built for it over time," he said.
Yadav said that achieving climate targets must be done in line with national circumstances and the CBDR-RC (Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities) principle.
As per India's nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national climate plan, submitted to the UN climate body, emphasise ensuring "access to energy to its people".
This principle of CBDR-RC means all countries must fight climate change, however, all developed nations should do more because they have historically contributed more emissions and have greater resources.
AC temperature setting:
Earlier in June, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said that air conditioners in India will soon be required to operate within a fixed range of 20 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius, and settings below or above this limit will be prohibited.
According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), most ACs in India are currently set between 20 and 21 degrees Celsius, though the ideal comfort range is 24 to 25 degrees Celsius.
BEE recommends setting air conditioners at 24 to 25 degrees Celsius to balance comfort and energy use. It says that keeping the temperature too low, around 20 to 21 degrees Celsius, wastes electricity.
The agency also says that raising the AC temperature by just 1 degree can save about 6 per cent of electricity. Increasing it from 20 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius could lead to energy savings of up to 24 per cent.
Each year, India adds 10-15 million new ACs, with another 130–150 million expected over the next decade. Without policy intervention, ACs alone could drive 120 GW of peak power demand by 2030 and 180 GW by 2035, nearly 30 per cent of the projected totals, according to a recent study by India Energy and Climate Center (IECC) at University of California (UC) Berkeley.
The study says the fastest-developing major economy can avoid severe power shortages and save consumers up to ₹2.2 lakh crore (USD 26 billion) by doubling the energy efficiency of room ACs over the next 10 years.
In the summer of 2024, room air conditioner sales surged by 40 to 50 per cent year-on-year amid record-breaking temperatures.
The research shows, the share of the household sector in India's total electricity consumption increased from 22 per cent in 2012-13 to 25 per cent in 2022-23. Much of this rise can be attributed to economic growth and the increasing need for cooling due to rising temperatures, experts say.
With agency inputs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Wire
13 minutes ago
- The Wire
Delhi's First Trial Run of Artificial Rain to be Conducted From July 4-11: Environment minister
Environment AAP, Delhi's former ruling party, which had earlier suggested cloud seeding to reduce air pollution, has raised questions about conducting the trial run in monsoon. Vehicles ply on a road near the India Gate on a cloudy afternoon, in New Delhi. Photo: PTI New Delhi: While it may bear good news to Delhiites hoping for better air quality, the timing may prove to be the spoiler. Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has announced that his government would go ahead with a trial run of artificial rain in the national capital to lower air pollution, a first of its kind and a much-awaited welcome move, but he also said that the trial would run between this July 14 and 11 which would be after the onset of the monsoons in the area. Speaking to media persons on June 28, Sirsa said, 'The initiative marks a historic step in controlling urban air pollution. Our aim is to provide Delhiites with clean air. That's why we are taking this bold step of inducing artificial rain. We are hopeful that it will bring about a meaningful change.' As per media reports, the trial would be carried out by the Indian Meteorological Institute as per a plan for cloud seeding submitted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. 'The premier engineering institute has been tasked with implementing the project by overseeing deployment of aircraft, chemical disposal, scientific modelling, planning, and operational logistics,' stated The Hindu. The report does quote the minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) admitting that the weather conditions for the project 'were found to be unsuitable until July 3' but added that 'a widow has been identified between July 4 and 11.' What is of concern, though, is whether the heavy waterlogging that usually happens after the rains across the city would get adequate time to clear up before the artificial rains drop on the city. The report added that the Delhi government has sent a proposal to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which would be providing the aircraft, requesting an 'alternative window' in case the weather conditions remain unfavourable after July 3 so that the trial could be carried out at a later date. It must be noted that though the BJP government in Delhi has pushed for the trial, the Union government run by its party, did not move when the former Aam Aadmi Party's government had written letters to the Narendra Modi government to fast-track the clearances needed for cloud seeding even though it had called it an emergency measure to bring down air pollution in the city. Then Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, on November 19, 2024, had written to the Union government, seeking PM Modi's intervention for artificial rain in the national capital to combat the worsening air pollution levels. Addressing a press meet that day, Rai had then said that his immediate intervention was required as it 'is his moral responsibility' as it 'is a medical emergency'. However, there was no response from the prime minister's office or his government then. He had also cited a letter addressed to Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav seeking the approvals for artificial rain. He said, 'He (Yadav) has not called a single meeting on artificial rain despite my four letters sent in August, September, October and today.' 'PM Modi should ask his environment minister to convene a meeting on artificial rain. Either give a solution or clear the path for artificial rains. If central government cannot act, their minister should resign,' Rai had told reporters. The Wire tried reaching out to Gopal Rai on the matter but failed to get a response. Following the BJP's announcement, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj, however, questioned the idea for a trial during the monsoons. Who conducts an artificial rain trial during the rainy season, he asked. Sirsa's response gave away his party's attempt at taking credit for it. 'We were the ones who signed the memorandum of understanding first, made the payment to IIT, Kanpur, and applied for the necessary approvals because we want to bring about actual change… AAP did not do anything except talk about inducing artificial rain. Our government (BJP's Rekha Gupta-led government), on the other hand, has worked sincerely. That is why, within just four months of forming the government, we are at the stage of finalising the date for Delhi's first artificial rain,' he claimed. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Five petitioners write Open Letter to CJI Gavai, urge early deadline for restoration of J&K's statehood
New Delhi: Five petitioners in the Article 370 case have shot off an open letter to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai urging him to constitute a bench to hear petitions on the unconstitutionality on the removal of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, an early deadline for its restoration and ensuring that no government in future abrogate statehoods. They said they are 'concerned' that the government might cite the Pahalgam attack to again delay the restoration of statehood, which has been promised repeatedly by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament. They wanted the Chief Justice to take suo-motu cognizance of the Open Letter and constitute a bench to decide on the petitioners - former Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir Radhakumar, former Home Secretary G K Pillai, Major General Ashok K Mehtra (retired), Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak (retired) and former Secretary Inter-State Council of India Amitabha Pande - will also be urging MPs across to take up the issue in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.'Not only is that argument (Pahalgam) not tenable, it can be argued that this is exactly the time to do so. The high turnout in the October 2024 elections with no violence, and the absolute majority the electors gave the National Conference…indicated the people had voted for an elected administration with the strength to govern according to public aspirations,' they the way Kashmiris responded to the Pahalgam attack, they said in the Open Letter that the NIA investigations have now found out that the earlier police version that Kashmiris were involved in the terror attack is "unfounded". In an apparent reference to actions like demolishing houses of families of terrorists, they said LG Manoj Sinha administration's 'haste in unjustified punitive action' has caused a great deal of anger on the ground and this has been exacerbated by the sidelining of the elected administration and assembly from security consultations and initiatives for redress. .'The post-Pahalgam environment, which was widely conducive to the re-establishment of peace, is already being vitiated. The most effective bulwark against such vitiation is restoration of civil and political rights, including oversight institutions, that will come with statehood,' they Assembly passed a resolution and eight months have passed since Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha forwarded it to the President, they said adding, no action has been taken, despite repeated requests by the Chief said the government's repeated assurances on restoring statehood suggest a tacit recognition that the removal of statehood is unconstitutional. They also objected to the Solicitor-General's contention in December 2023 that statehood would only be restored in stages. 'This is a policy that nullifies the constitutional issue that no state can be demoted to a Union Territory in its entirety. If that demotion was unconstitutional, then it follows that statehood must be restored in toto," they said while warning that all states will be at risk of similar actions being taken against them following the Solicitor General's laid out letter said it was the first time in independent India that an existing state had been demoted to Union Territory. They had argued in the court that this contravened the Constitution and the basic structure doctrine that India is a federal democracy in which states' rights must be petitioners recalled that the Supreme Court had not ruled on the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of the Union government move because the Solicitor-General had assured it that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time. Then Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud urged the government to restore statehood at the earliest while Justice Sanjay Khanna separately had held it unconstitutional.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Pradhan praises use of drones for Rath Yatra
Puri: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday praised Odisha Police's use of drones and other technology for foolproof security arrangements during Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra. Pradhan and Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accompanied by Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and Puri MP Sambit Patra, visited the 'Integrated Command and Control Centre' (ICCC) set up by Odisha Police in Puri to reviewsecurity and surveillance preparedness during the Rath Yatra. 'To maintain order during the Rath Yatra in Puri and to control the crowd, Ivisited the Integrated Command and Control Centre established by Odisha Police. For the first time in the Rath Yatra, this arrangement by Odisha Police, utilising drones and other technology for monitoring, is highly useful and commendable,' Pradhan said in a post on X. Pradhan also said that this is a shining example of how technology can be used to safeguard tradition. The synergy of AI, drone surveillance and real-time command capabilities is commendable, he said. The ministers appreciated the use of technology-driven solutions implemented by Odisha Police and developed by Odisha-baseddefence tech startup IG Drones, a statement issued by the company said. For the first time in the history of Rath Yatra, Odisha Police has deployed advanced drone surveillance technology across key areas of the city—enabling real-time aerial monitoring of crowd movements, traffic flow and potential emergencies. Apart from drones, the police have also installed 275 AI-powered CCTV cameras, a real-time WhatsApp chatbot for public assistance and an Integrated Command and Control Centre for centralised coordination and data-driven decision-making, an official said.
