New Delhi, June 23: In a statement issued by the Ministry of Power on Friday, it recommended the AC manufacturers to keep the default temperature at 24-26 degree celsius. The rationale, explained Power Minister RK Singh, is to bring down energy consumption and thereby reduce the costs borne by consumers.

With every one-degree increase in air-conditioner temperature, Singh said, six per cent of energy consumption is reduced. The Ministry will take a feedback from the manufacturers and consumers in the next six months, before making it mandatory for AC temperatures to be kept between 24-26 degree celsius at default.

The move is being contemplated as a long-term measure to cut down on emissions and reduce energy consumption. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), AC usage in India has jumped 15 times since 1990. The numbers are further expected to surge as only 6 per cent of the households at present use air-conditioners.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency, in its recent report, said he total connected load in India due to air conditioning will be 200 GW by 2030 going by the current trends.

If all the consumers resort to cooling their rooms at a temperature of 24 degree celsius or above, it would lead to savings of 20 billion units of electricity in one year alone, the Power Ministry claimed its statement.

In several countries, the policy has been enacted to cut down on energy consumption. The leading among such nations is Japan, which has kept 28 degree celsius as the default temperature for AC manufacturers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 23, 2018 12:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).