AC firms may switch to new settings...

The market for ACs is estimated to be around 14-15 million units, growing at about 15-20% per annum

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"THE REMOTE FIRMWARE will need to be changed, which is not difficult to do. The industry will not have a problem implementing it," he said. Some companies feel the move to standardize AC temperatures is a step towards sustainable cooling. "It aligns with the government's broader energy efficiency goals," Voltas MD Designate Mukundan Menon said.

At a press briefing last week, Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that air conditioners used about 50 gigawatts of electricity or 20% of the country's total electricity demand, prompting the move to set a minimum temperature level. He said that raising the temperature by even one degree Celsius could cut power usage by up to 6%, which was significant.