Centre proposes 24°C as default AC setting in progress to save energy

Hyderabad: The Union power ministry’s announcement to regulate the default settings of air conditioners to 24º Celsius as a test measure to conserve power has raised eyebrows but experts said it could be an effective method. Although power minister R.K. Singh stated that each 1ºC increase in the AC temperature setting can save six per cent of electricity, experts state that it is an assumption as each building is different which changes their cooling quotient. Ms Vijitha Kandamkumarath, an electrical engineer working for a large power distribution company, said, “At a higher temperature setting, ACs use less power. Establishments with centralised AC and others will set the temperature at 24ºC which should bring about a large change going by the figures stated by the ministry,” said Ms Kandamkumarath. The statement by the power ministry said, “If all the consumers adopt the same, this will result in savings of 20 billion units of electricity in one year.” The star ratings in ACs are awarded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and experts say that the new rule will not effect them.