India's emissions from ACs equal to that of cars now, set to double by 2035: Report

Air conditioners will become India's biggest greenhouse gas-emitting appliance by 2030, with total emissions projected to more than double to 329 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by 2035, a new survey has found.

The national survey by Delhi-based think tank iFOREST said ACs released 156 million tonnes CO2e in 2024 alone, equal to emissions from all passenger cars in the country. Of this, 52 million tonnes CO2e came from refrigerant leaks.

The report suggested extended producer responsibility, a national refrigerant database and stricter enforcement to mitigate severe implications on climate.

iFOREST said these steps could avoid 500-650 million tonnes of emissions from refrigerants over the next decade, worth USD 25-33 billion in carbon credits, and save consumers USD 10 billion in refilling costs. ''An AC in India, if refilled every two years, emits as much as a passenger car... From the climate perspective, AC is as damaging as a car,'' iFOREST president and CEO Chandra Bhushan said. India's AC stock is projected to rise from 62 million in 2024 to 245 million in 2035, with sales climbing from 14 million to 40 million. Sales have already been growing 15–20 per cent annually since 2020, driven by urbanisation, higher incomes and rising heat stress.

The survey of 3,100 households across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Jaipur found that 80 per cent of ACs are less than five years old, with Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune leading the surge in new purchases. About 87 per cent of households own a single AC, while 13 per cent own two or more. Multiple ownership is higher in Chennai, Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune, and even lower-income groups are now entering the AC market.

Refilling rates in India are among the highest globally. About 40 per cent of ACs are refilled every year, though ideally it should be once every five years. Eight in 10 ACs older than five years need annual refilling, and even one-third of newer machines require it. Consumers spent Rs 7,000 crore on refrigerant refills in 2024, a figure projected to jump four times to Rs 27,540 crore by 2035.

HFC-32, the most widely used refrigerant, has 675 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. Emissions from refrigerant leakage alone are expected to rise from 52 million tonnes CO2e in 2024 to 84 million tonnes in 2035.

On usage, the survey found households run their ACs for an average of four hours daily over the year. Usage spikes to 7.7 hours during summer compared to 3.2 hours in the monsoon season.

Nearly 98 per cent of households own three-star to five-star rated ACs, showing high awareness of energy efficiency. The three-star category dominates with a 60 per cent share, followed by the five-star at 28 per cent. Contrary to perception, most households set thermostats between 23 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius. Around 67 per cent of households keep their AC above 23 degrees, while only a third set it below 22 degrees, mainly in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

Bhushan said people are conscious of efficiency but not refrigerants. ''We need comprehensive regulation on the refrigerant lifecycle, similar to extended producer responsibility for plastics,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)