Every Indian household has that one nightly drama. No, not the soap drama on Star Plus, the real one. The war over the AC remote. You, shivering under a quilt at 2 AM. Your sibling? Doing yoga in a t-shirt because 24°C feels like a sauna to them. It’s a civil war fought in silence, until now.
Because the Indian government is now stepping in like an over-involved parent. Starting soon, you won’t be able to set your AC below 20°C or above 28°C. Yes, that means no more pretending you live in the Himalayas. The logic? To cut down on electricity consumption and reduce the pressure on India’s overheating power grid.
But is this a genius masterstroke or an icy overreach?
Why Your AC Isn’t Magic, Just Good At Moving Heat
Most of us believe ACs blow cold air, but really, they’re more like heat-extraction ninjas. ACs don’t produce coolness; they suck out heat and release it outside using a refrigerant. This special liquid turns into gas when it absorbs heat. The gas is then pressurised to about 90°C (hotter than your morning chai) before being cooled again and recycled.
And the catch? That compression process is where your electricity goes to die. The lower you set the temperature, the longer and harder the compressor works. So if you’re chasing that mythical 16°C in the Delhi summer, your AC is basically sprinting on a treadmill to nowhere.
Why Setting 18°C Is A National Issue Now
In a country where 24 out of every 100 homes now own an air conditioner (triple since 2010), cooling isn’t just a personal comfort. It’s a national challenge. From 2019 to 2022 alone, electricity demand for cooling jumped by 20 per cent. And as per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), about 10 per cent of India’s total electricity now goes into just making you not sweat.
Studies show that every 1°C increase in your AC setting cuts energy use by 6 per cent. So bumping up from 20°C to 24°C could reduce your power bill by nearly 24 per cent, and save India a mind-blowing ₹18,000–20,000 crore over three years.
As Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar puts it, “This is a first-of-its-kind experiment.” And clearly, it’s not just about bedtime comfort. It’s about avoiding an electricity apocalypse.
What Italy, Spain, And Japan Did
India’s not the first to fiddle with thermostats. Italy has its “Operation Thermostat,” which enforces a 27°C minimum in public buildings. Spain and Japan have similar policies, though Japan’s 28°C rule is a polite suggestion rather than a law; but let’s not compare apples to Alphonso mangoes.
Western nations deal with temperate climates and better building insulation. In India, stepping outside feels like walking into a preheated oven. And with roads made of asphalt, a material that soaks up heat and radiates it back like an angry sun, urban areas become furnaces.
The fix? Try cool pavements. These are surfaces designed to reflect heat. Los Angeles reported a 10°C surface temperature drop when it used white coatings. Even Mumbai’s Thane has started trying this out. So maybe the answer isn’t just locking ACs but cooling the cities themselves.
The Architecture That’s Frying Us
Take a stroll in Gurgaon or Mumbai, and you’ll spot buildings that look like they belong in Dubai. All-glass facades shimmer like disco balls. But under all that glam lies a heat trap. Glass buildings create a greenhouse effect, locking in heat. So what do we do? Blast the AC. But that heat then gets dumped outside, making the surrounding area even hotter. It’s urban cannibalism.
Contrast that with India’s old-school design. Think of jaalis in Mughal architecture. These beautiful stone screens don’t just look Instagrammable, they’re cooling geniuses. Based on the Venturi effect, they accelerate air through small holes, cooling it naturally. No power bills. No planet guilt.
Modern India is waking up to this, too. Microsoft’s Noida office, inspired by traditional jaalis, has a LEED Platinum rating, the highest certification in sustainable design. Maybe we don’t need futuristic solutions, just a smarter use of our past.
Are ACs Really A Luxury Anymore?
Here’s a hot take: ACs still attract 28 per cent GST because they’re considered “luxury goods.” But when Delhi feels like an oven dialled to 50°C, is staying alive really a luxury? This tax slab also means people buy cheaper, inefficient models, which, ironically, consume more electricity.
A smart workaround? Tie the tax rate to the ISEER rating (Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). This rating measures how much cooling you get per unit of electricity. High ISEER means better efficiency. If we lowered taxes for efficient models, the market would naturally move in that direction. It would make energy savings and carbon cuts affordable, not aspirational.
Also Read: Here’s What Happens To The Human Body In Extreme Heat And Temperatures
So… Is Standardizing AC Temperatures A Cool Move Or Hot Air?
The government’s temperature cap plan is well-intentioned. Limiting the thermostat to a 20°C to 28°C range will reduce power usage and environmental impact, but without better urban planning, smarter construction, and tax reform, it’s like putting a band-aid on a heatstroke.
We also don’t know how enforcement will work. Will the AC police knock on your door if you hack your remote? Or will manufacturers be forced to code limits into new models? Either way, it’s only part of the puzzle. India needs a holistic cooling strategy. One that includes better materials, reflective roads, efficient tech, and some good old-fashioned wisdom from our ancestors’ homes.
Chill, But With Context
Let’s be honest – no one wants the government to control their bedtime AC settings. But when you look at the numbers, 50 gigawatts of cooling power eating up 20 per cent of our grid, with projections to save ₹7.5 trillion by avoiding new power plants, it’s hard to ignore the logic.
That said, real change will come not from temperature limits alone, but from changing how we build, cool, and live. Want to beat the heat? Don’t just fight over the AC remote. Fight for cooler homes, smarter cities, and maybe even a government subsidy on those sexy-looking high-ISEER machines.
Until then, dear Team 18°C, enjoy your last few weeks of Antarctic bliss because winter, as they say, is no longer coming.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Indian Express, Economic Times, NDTV
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: ac temperature rule india, energy efficiency india, cooling solutions india, climate change india, sustainable cities india, smart home hacks, save electricity india, heatwave india, power consumption tips, indian architecture cooling, jaali design, eco friendly buildings, ac usage tips, urban heat island, gst on appliances, iseer rating india, environment friendly living, green building india, cooling policy india, public policy india, ac tax reform, government energy policy, summer survival india, air conditioner hacks, sustainable urban planning
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