Minority of Indians Buy Energy Efficient ACs: CEEW

While a majority of Indian consumers want to purchase a high-star labelled or energy efficient air-conditioner, only a minority of them actually went on to purchase one with the price of such models acting as a deterrent, according to a latest study. The study, conducted by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), reported that over 70% of respondents want to buy an energy efficient AC, but just 14% actually went on to purchase one. In fact, a dominant majority of Indian consumers find the government’s star labelling programme trustworthy and useful. A significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is available if households adopt better AC use practices. Adopting sustainable lifestyle practices, including higher AC energy efficiency and optimized maintenance, could reduce the global warming impact of the cooling sector in India by 46% during the period 2010–2050. As per the study, 68% of the households reported that they considered energy efficiency a key attribute at the time of purchase. Relatively more respondents indicated that budgetary and branding decisions had been finalized well before the purchase was made. It said the trade-off between upfront spending, or through the appliances’ lifetime, is still clearly stacked against energy-efficient purchases. CEEW also noted that the average number of preventive servicing undertaken by AC users in India is much lower than require since most users are unaware of the potential benefits.