COST OF KEEPING COOL

With ACs, fridges, and space cooling becoming necessities, experts point out that ambient heat increases as more cooling equipment is installed

- SHREYA JAI & SHARLEEN D'SOUZA

Intense heat has pumped up the sale of cooling equipment across the country. There has been a record spike in sales of air conditioners (ACs) and refrigerators. There are new users coming from smaller towns and rural areas, apart from incremental demand from the existing urban consumers.

According to the World Energy Outlook 2023, AC ownership in the country has tripled since 2010 to reach 24 units per 100 households. Along with space cooling, these sectors are now pushing India's electricity demand. Thanks to the increase in residential cooling, new "high electricity demand" hours have emerged during the evening time, which was earlier only during office hours.

With ACs, fridges, and space cooling becoming necessities, there are now concerns about their impact on the environment. Environment experts have repeatedly pointed out that ambient heat increases as more cooling equipment is installed. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are the main chemical gases used in coolants, are proven beyond doubt to be causing ozone layer depletion.

India has a star rating programme for efficient electrical equipment and is a signatory to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phase down of HFCs. But, the spike in use of cooling equipment will inevitably cause more warming.

Growing cooling landscape

Space cooling now accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the country's electricity demand, which is now 21 per cent higher than its share in 2019. By 2050, household AC ownership in India is projected to increase nine-fold, leading to a nine-fold increase in energy demand for cooling, said a report by Delhi-based iForest, which has been at the forefront of building an action plan against environmentally harmful cooling chemicals.