One lakh old ACs to be replaced in govt buildings in bid to conserve energy

Around one lakh conventional air-conditioners will be replaced by super-efficient appliances that will consume 30% less power, said Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday.

Installing the air-conditioners will bring down energy consumption by 30%, which translates into reductions in greenhouse emissions generated during power production.

The initiative is part of a larger programme to make buildings more energy-efficient by using super-efficient cooling equipment and LED lights. In August 2017, the ministry of finance directed all central government offices to switch to energy-efficient appliances.

Across India, 88 buildings have started using energy-efficient appliances.

By March 31, 1,500 buildings will be covered and by June, all 2,500 central government offices and public sector company buildings will be covered,” said Saurabh Kumar, managing director of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), entrusted with implementing the Buildings Energy Efficiency Programme. EESL is a joint venture between NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation and Powergrid.

The 1.5 tonne split ACs will be supplied by Panasonic (60%) and Godrej & Boyce (40%) at a base price of Rs 44,200 (Rs35,000+taxes). EESL will make the upfront investment, which will be paid back over five years by the building owners from the energy savings.

“We have won majority of the contract... With this, we hope to have around 8-10% of our AC sales in India from government projects in 2018,” said Manish Sharma, vice-president, Appliances Company, Panasonic Corporation and president & CEO, Panasonic India & South Asia.

As part of the Paris agreement, India has committed to reduce emission intensity by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030.

(With inputs from Sounak Mitra)