The Government Of India could soon regulate the temperature of your air conditioners. Sounds weird right, but it’s happening and the major air conditioner manufacturers are complying. In an attempt to control electricity consumption, the government is planning to standardise air conditioner temperatures.

Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently said in a press conference, ‘The temperature should be between 20℃ to 28℃ for all ACs, according to these new regulations, I don’t think any of us even use the AC at temperatures below 20℃’.

While well-intentioned, this one-size-fits-all approach risks overlooking individual comfort needs and begs the question: why is the government regulating the temperature of my air conditioner?

The logic is quite clear: to alleviate pressure on an increasingly strained power grid. Air conditioners currently account for approximately 50 gigawatts (GW) of electricity use, nearly one-fifth of the nation’s maximum power load. Approximately one billion tonnes of coal was burnt to meet this rising electricity demand.

The regulation is important given that more and more people are now able to afford air conditioners, and consequently sales are going up. Over 14 million AC units were sold last year. This has led to a share of household electricity use to rise from 22 per cent in 2012–13 to 25 per cent in 2022–23.

But why is there such a high demand for ACs and residential cooling? In 2024, India recorded 536 heatwave days, the highest in 14 years, with temperatures rising to 49.2°C. It was officially the warmest year. 11,000 heat-related deaths were recorded between 2012-2021. In 2024, more than 200 heat-related deaths were........

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