Increasing Use of Air-conditioning is set to Rise Global Temperature

Currently just 5 per cent of Indian households are equipped with AC compared to 90 per cent in the U.S. and 60 percent in China, up from virtually zero 30 years ago, according to the ETEnergy world. Experts predict that India is set to explode its AC market and reach a billion units by 2050, making the country the top user of electricity for cooling.

India is already the number-three spewer of greenhouse gases, burning through 800 million tonnes of coal every year and the predicted AC boom could mean the country would have to triple its electricity production to meet demand, experts say.

India’s AC market is catching up as the mercury level keep rising every year. The increased use of ACs has triggered to soar the temperature in the urban city by at least one degrees, which is a concerning factor for climate change.

“It’s no longer a luxury product but a necessity,” said Kanwal Jeet Jawa, India head of Japanese manufacturer Daikin, whose factory in Rajasthan churns out 1.2 million AC units per year. “ACs increase productivity and life expectancy. Everyone deserves an AC.”

Heat generating motors inside AC units can themselves push up temperatures in urban areas, as per the study by the World Health Organisation and UN-Habitat.

The global consumption of AC units could triple by 2050, requiring new electricity capacity equivalent to the combined current capacity of the US, the EU and Japan, the International Energy Agency says.

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