Why AC Limits Aren’t Enough in Heat-Stressed India

As the government looks to cap AC temperatures, the conversation must widen to include the majority of Indians who don’t own one, say experts

The government’s recent move to cap AC settings between 20–28°C triggered a flurry of debate — some say it’s a smart way to save energy, others see it as an unnecessary intrusion into personal choice. But the conversation misses something bigger. In a country where a majority of people don’t even own an AC, the real issue isn’t about ideal temperature settings — it’s about who has access to cooling.

Heat is not only becoming more intense, but it’s also becoming more pervasive. Nearly 57% of India’s districts, encompassing 76% of the country’s population are already exposed to high or very high heat risk. Lakhs of people — daily wage workers, children, slum residents, the elderly — are forced to live and work in dangerously hot conditions without access to electricity, clean water, or healthcare. Cooling demands are simultaneously rising. In 2024 alone, Indians bought 14 million air conditioners. But the answer to rising heat cannot be limited to a high-cost, maladaptive machine that is inaccessible to most.

“Protecting people from heatwaves must also be recognised as a constitutional duty. Whether we speak of human rights, equity or inclusiveness, it is essential that our governments and institutions are actively working towards climate adaptation,” said Bharat Lal, Secretary General of NHRC, at a heatwave summit conducted recently in New Delhi. 

The real challenge, therefore, isn’t just about saving power, it’s about closing the gap between those with access and those without. 

The Energy-Efficiency Argument — and Its Limitations

With temperatures soaring past 40-45°C in many parts of India, air conditioners are no longer a luxury. They now account for about 20% of the nation’s power demand. They are also key drivers of scaling up of coal-generated electricity — increasing demand that not only hinders emission cuts, but also strains the power grid. Setting limits on AC temperature—like the government recently announced—will certainly reduce power consumption. For example, increasing the temperature setting by one degree can cut down energy use by 6%, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). This could also help ease the strain on the grid, especially during peak hours. 

However, an industry insider shared, on condition of anonymity, that adjusting all cooling capacity in order to comply with these limits will raise prices, making ACs even more inaccessible to vulnerable populations. Standardised rules also risk ignoring deep structural divides. Women, for example, are disproportionately affected by heat, while the elderly with existing morbidities are also at higher risk, according to Dr Saumya Swaminathan, former director of WHO.

Heat vulnerability: What we don’t measure, we can’t fix 

According to Dr Chandini Singh, Lead, School of Environment, IIHS, risk is driven by three forces—hazard, exposure to hazard, and vulnerability. While India is tracking rising temperatures and population exposure, it is still very poor at mapping vulnerability, she says. “Vulnerability is often harder to identify because it frequently resembles poverty. Much of it stems from structural issues within our society. When we examine a specific hazard like heat, we must identify where the pockets of vulnerability lie.” For example, only 5% of Heat Action Plans had vulnerability assessments in 2023. 

A nationwide mapping of vulnerability would help in shaping heat mitigation and adaptation policies to be more targeted and bridge widening gaps. A composite picture of risk would also be useful in terms of finance. “We need to know for whom it is out of pocket and who needs support. There needs to be data — who is poor, who is vulnerable, what are the intersections?” says Dr Suranjali Tandon, Associate Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.

Beyond ACs: Cooling Homes Without Warming the Planet 

An industry insider, on condition of anonymity, told CarbonCopy that the new rule about AC temperature settings is going to be supported with a push for buying new technology that is in line with the new norms. They shared that manufacturers have been notified that households replacing ACs older than 5–7 years will receive a subsidy of ₹5,000–7,000 on the purchase of a new unit. However, scaling up AC usage is inherently detrimental because ACs use hydrofluorocarbons as refrigerants, extremely harmful greenhouse gases that can cause upto 3,790 times more warming than carbon dioxide. Even directly, ACs operate by transferring indoor heat to the outdoor environment, and they can cause outdoor temperatures to spike by up to 1°C, which only furthers the urban heat island effect. And once again, it is the people without the ACs— the ones not adding to the energy load—who are left to cope with the heat.

An alternative to the maladaptive cooling of ACs could be passive cooling technology, coupled with better urban planning, say experts. Vaibhav Dange, Head, Build India & Board Member said “To build climate resilience, infrastructure must be effectively utilised.” This is a key area in ensuring equitable climate resilience because it benefits the entire city or district, allowing the baseline conditions of heat to become more bearable, according to experts. 

Infrastructure solutions need to be both short term ones that provide immediate relief, like cooling centres, shade provision and water supply, as well as long term ones that build resilience to heat beyond emergency responses, like insulated roofs, rainwater harvesting and window films, say experts. However, it is crucial change goes beyond the buildings and becomes systemic. 

“We first need to look at all the design and those kinds of code aspects in infrastructure. And second, look at materials, processes that can bring down heat.” says Dange. Aditya Pillai, Visiting Fellow, Sustainable Futures Collaborative, also spoke of this urgent need in terms of building urban resilience to heat. “The current state of heat planning and governance is characterised by a focus on short term actions, which are essentially actions that have the effect of preparing for an impending heat wave. Where they [cities] really were lacking was the long-term planning, and that means bringing structural change. And that means things like changing the structure of your city, the way your city is built, how many green spaces you have, how dense your informal settlements and slum areas are,” said Pillai.

One of the most important solutions is to enhance and preserve tree cover, water bodies and treatment of wastewater in cities — all of these directly help sustainability, but they also help reduce the outdoor heat. Green spaces are vital, because tree canopy and grass cover can decrease local daytime surface temperatures by as much as 5-6°C. Maintaining water bodies and using recycled wastewater are also essential. 

According to Dr Jagdish Ramaswamy, IIHS, “Green and blue spaces in our cities provide essential cooling services. Through evaporation and transpiration, they help lower temperatures—much like how humans cool themselves through perspiration. However, the water required to sustain this infrastructure currently comes from high-quality water sources, often imported from distant ecosystems. Looking ahead, the water sustaining these spaces must increasingly come from treated wastewater.” 

Limiting AC temperatures might ease pressure on the grid and cut emissions, but it’s far from the whole answer. Building true climate resilience will mean shifting focus from appliance-based fixes to long lasting solutions that cool entire communities. That means better planning, green infrastructure, and above all, policies that centre the needs of the most vulnerable, not just the most visible.

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Mriya Upadhyay

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