THE CONTEXT: Soaring temperatures and rapid urbanisation have made space-cooling an essential service, yet India’s dependence on conventional room air-conditioners threatens its energy security and climate targets. Responding to this dilemma, the Union Power Ministry has proposed a mandatory thermostat band of 20 °C-28 °C for all air-conditioners—an idea that follows the 2020 default-setting rule of 24 °C and points to the broader “cooling transition” under the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP, 2019).
THE BACKGROUND:
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- Early trajectory: Cooling demand in India has risen 21 % between 2019-2022 and is now the fastest-growing electricity end-use.
- Appliance boom: Annual AC sales touched a record 14 million units in 2024, up from 7.5 million in 2022, and could exceed 30 million by 2030.
- Policy milestones: From the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC 2017), Eco-Niwas Samhita (ENS 2018/2021), to ICAP targets of reducing cooling demand by 25 % and refrigerant demand by 30 % by 2037, India has created a layered framework for “thermal resilience”.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
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- Energy Justice emphasises equitable access to thermal comfort without imposing disproportionate environmental burdens on the poor.
- Demand-Side Management (DSM) treats thermostat capping, star-labelling and time-of-day tariffs as behavioural “nudges” to shave peak load.
- Sufficiency & Circularity argue for designs that avoid rather than merely optimise energy consumption—e.g., cool roofs, passive ventilation, district cooling.
WHAT, WHY, HOW OF THE COOLING CHALLENGE:
| DIMENSION | KEY POINTS |
|---|---|
| WHAT | Rising AC ownership, inefficient vapor-compression technology, and leakage-prone hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). |
| WHY | Economic growth, heat-wave frequency, urban heat-island (UHI) amplification, aspirational lifestyles. |
| HOW | Grid stress causing new coal capacity, 30-50 % share of Delhi’s summer demand, 120 GW incremental peak by 2030 if unmanaged. |
TECHNICAL DETAILS & SPECIFICATIONS:
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- Typical 1.5 ton split AC
- Cooling Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (CSEER): 3.5-4.5 (Five-Star).
- Annual energy: ≈1,200 kWh → 1.5 t CO₂ at 0.9 kg CO₂/kWh grid factor.
- Refrigerant charge: ~2 kg R-410A (GWP ≈ 2088).
- Super-Efficient AC (SEAC) prototypes: CSEER > 7.0, using low-GWP R-290/ R-32 hybrids, fivefold efficiency gains vs. baseline.
- District Cooling Systems (DCS): efficiency up to 0.6 kW/RT, 30-40 % energy-savings, near-zero refrigerant leakage; Hyderabad Pharma City to host Asia’s largest 125,000 RT plant.
- Typical 1.5 ton split AC
THE CURRENT SCENARIO:
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- Cooling already constitutes 4-10 % of national electricity use and 40 % of Delhi’s annual demand, spiking to 60 % on extreme-heat days.
- IEA (2025) ranks India the second-largest contributor to incremental global energy demand, driven chiefly by residential cooling.
THE SIGNIFICANCE:
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- Public Health: Heat-related mortality and morbidity threaten labour productivity.
- Macro-economy: Peak-load driven coal additions lock-in carbon assets, straining fiscal balances of DISCOMs.
- Climate Diplomacy: Kigali Amendment compliance offers 0.5 °C avoided warming; India’s early adoption strengthens its green leadership.
THE DRIVERS:
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- Demographic: Urban population to double by 2050; middle-class aspirations.
- Climatic: 11 of India’s 15 warmest years occurred after 2010; heat-wave days tripled since the 1980s.
- Technological lock-in: Cheap fixed-speed compressors dominate > 80 % of market share.
- Behavioural: Cool-setpoints (< 20 °C) driven by “thermal luxury”, not comfort standards.
THE INDIAN POLICY FRAMEWORK & INITIATIVES:
| LAYER | KEY INSTRUMENTS & TARGETS |
|---|---|
| APPLIANCE | Star-Labelling (BEE), default 24 °C, proposed mandatory 20-28 °C cap. |
| BUILDING | ECBC 2017, Super-ECBC (50 % saving), ENS 2021 for residential envelopes. |
| URBAN | National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, Cool Roof Programme (Telangana, 2023). |
| SYSTEMIC | ICAP (2019), Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) for high-efficiency compressors, HFC phase-down roadmap (2032-2047). |
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE & BEST PRACTICES:
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- Singapore’s Marina Bay DCS cuts 19,000 t CO₂ annually and saves 40 % cooling energy.
- Dubai Festival Plaza achieved 5 % energy improvement via ISO 50001 and central cooling.
- State of Green (Denmark) highlights district cooling’s ability to slash refrigerant leaks by shifting to monitored central plants.
THE ISSUES:
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- Grid Vulnerability: Peak coincidence of cooling load stresses transformers and necessitates expensive “peaking” coal plants.
- Refrigerant Leakage: Informal servicing means up to 30 % annual charge leakage, nullifying Kigali gains.
- Urban Heat Islands: AC exhaust amplifies UHI, raising night-time temperatures and worsening heat-stress cycles.
- Equity Gap: Only ~30 % of urban households own ACs, yet everyone bears blackout risk and heat-island effects.
- Market Barriers: Higher upfront cost of inverter & SEAC models; split incentives in rented buildings.
- Data Deficit: Cooling-load forecasting and refrigerant inventories remain weak.
THE WAY FORWARD:
Passive-First Urban Design:
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- Adopt city-wide cool-roof mandates, permeable pavements, and green corridors in master plans.
- These lower ambient temperature by 2-4 °C, trimming cooling demand at source.
- Municipal bonds and AMRUT-2.0 funds can finance large-scale retrofits.
District Cooling Acceleration:
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- Create a Viability Gap Funding window under the National Infrastructure Pipeline for DCS in economic zones.
- Bundle renewable energy and thermal-storage assets for 24×7 low-carbon cooling.
- Tabreed-Hyderabad pilot should serve as a standard concession template for other states.
Super-Efficient AC (SEAC) Market Transformation:
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- Expand the BEE “Star 6” tier linked to GST rebates and credit lines via SIDBI for MSME suppliers.
- Mandate public-procurement of SEACs to create demand pull.
- Pair with an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for safe refrigerant recovery.
Thermostat & Demand Response (DR) Integration:
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- Link smart thermostats to time-of-day tariffs, rewarding setpoints above 26 °C during peaks.
- DISCOMs can procure “negawatts” cheaper than peaking coal, improving their finances.
- Pilot programmes in Delhi’s smart-metered areas can be scaled nationally.
Cold-Chain & Public Cooling Hubs:
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- Convert under-used government buildings into heat-resilience centres with solar-powered chillers.
- Target vulnerable groups—street vendors, construction labour—with midday access.
- Finance through CSR pools and Climate Resilience Bonds.
Skill & Service-Sector Reform
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- Launch a national “Green Cooling Technician” certification under Skill India.
- This professionalises servicing, cuts refrigerant leaks, and opens green jobs.
- Tie certification to refrigerant-purchase licences for accountability.
THE CONCLUSION:
India’s “propulsion gap” in cooling is not technological but systemic—an intersection of urban design, behavioural economics and climate diplomacy. The thermostat cap is a useful signal, yet only a holistic package—passive architecture, efficient technology, inclusive access and robust governance—can deliver “cool comfort” without warming the planet.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. 2013
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. India’s cooling needs have shifted from being a luxury demand to a developmental necessity, posing a triple challenge of energy security, emission mitigation and social equity. Critically Analyse.
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