AC market: Let it evolve to find its comfort zone

The Centre's plan to regulate the temperature settings of air-conditioners and save energy is a well-meant intervention. But a market-oriented persuasion campaign may work better

- 

No doubt, many of us could plead guilty to air-conditioner (AC) overuse. It is easily done by setting ACs at a temperature below the 20-24° Celsius band of human comfort; this keeps their compressors working overtime. So, in a country short of energy, do we need regulatory action? This week, India's power minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the Centre plans to mandate standards under which ACs can only be set in a range from 28° to 20° Celsius, no lower. The idea is to conserve electricity. Well known as power guzzlers, these contraptions account for about a fifth of India's peak demand, placed at about 250 gigawatts (GW) last summer and projected to rise by 8-10% this year. As reported, the government has cited studies that suggest 3GW of peak-time power could be saved if all ACs across the country are set just 1° Celsius higher. Since carbon-releasing plants generate most of our power supply, a national drive for moderation would be climate friendly too.