Behaviour Change Communications for Promoting Optimum Air Conditioner Setpoint Temperature Settings
Currently, 8% of Indian households have air conditioners (ACs). By 2037, new demand from first-time purchasers of ACs and additional purchases of new units by households who already have ACs will increase AC penetration to 40%. This growth in ACs poses serious threats to energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stemming from AC use. Among the prominent approaches to sustainably managing the cooling demand from the increasing stock of ACs is user behaviour adjustment for optimum AC setpoint temperature settings. A shift in AC user behaviour towards an optimum AC setpoint temperature setting of 24°C or above would generate both direct (comfort) and indirect benefits (electricity and emission savings). The report provides insights regarding user current AC users’ perceptions, attitudes, awareness, and actions related to AC setpoint temperature from 400+ surveys across three Indian metropolitan cities, i.e., Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, and sets forth recommendations for designing behavior change communications.
