Amid the ongoing heatwave, where even air conditioners set to 16°C struggle to cool rooms, the government is considering a new rule to regulate the minimum and maximum temperature settings for ACs.
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday announced that new rules for standardising air conditioner temperatures will soon be implemented in India. Under the new guidelines, ACs will be required to operate within a set range of 20°C to 28°C.
“This is a first-of-its-kind experiment, aiming to standardise temperature settings,” the Union Minister said.
He added, “Regarding air conditioning standards, a new provision is being implemented soon. The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20°C to 28°C, meaning we won’t be able to cool below 20°C or warm above 28°C.”
“The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20°C and 28°C, which means we will not be able to cool below 20°C and heat above 28°C,” Khattar further said.
#WATCH | Delhi: Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar says, "Regarding air conditioning standards, a new provision is being implemented soon. The temperature standardization for ACs will be set between 20°C to 28°C, meaning we won't be able to cool below… pic.twitter.com/Iwnaa4ZPKN
— ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2025
Why does the government want to standardise AC temperatures?
The government is planning to standardise the AC temperature settings in an effort to reduce excessive electricity consumption and ease the burden on the power grid.
Currently, air conditioners operate within a range of 16°C to 30°C. The upcoming regulations aim to restrict this range for more efficient and uniform electricity usage.
“Studies show that every 1°C increase in AC temperature cuts energy use by 6%. That means if everyone sets their ACs just 1 degree higher, we can save about 3 gigawatts of power during peak times,” Bloomberg quoted Agarwal as saying.
According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, the new regulations could help save up to 60 gigawatts of peak electricity demand by 2035. This would eliminate the need to invest Rs 7.5 trillion ($88 billion) in building new power plants and grid infrastructure.
The government plans to monitor compliance with the new rules, although specific details regarding enforcement and implementation have yet to be announced.