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

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

New Delhi: Refilling of climate-warming refrigerants in residential ACs either due to leakage or faulty servicing costs Indian consumers Rs 7,000 crores annually besides damaging the climate extensively, a new survey on residential air-conditioners says on Monday, noting that ACs will become the biggest greenhouse gas emitting appliances by 2030.

Carried out in 3,100 households across seven cities, the survey says 40 per cent of the residential ACs are refilled annually and emission resulting from the refilling gas has crossed 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024 alone.

India's ACs used an estimated 32 million kg (32,000 tonnes) of refrigerant refills in 2024, which is expected to increase with AC stock to 125,000 tonnes by 2035.

“The sale of room ACs has been growing exponentially since 2020. In the next ten years, the number of ACs will triple to 245 million. But are we operating and maintaining our ACs to reduce their environmental impacts?” asked Chandra Bhushan, chief executive officer of iFOREST (International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology), a think tank working on green issues.

To find out the answer, the think tank launched a survey that was conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Jaipur among high, middle and low income groups.

The results – released ahead of World Ozone Day – shows India’s residential AC market is growing rapidly, fueled by urbanization, rising incomes, and intensifying heat stress. Around 80% of households have ACs less than five years old, and 40% of them are less than two years old.

It also shows air-conditioning is no longer a privilege of the rich, as ACs have become essential appliances for the middle-class. Of the households owning AC, nearly 87% own just one AC, while 13% own more than two. Annual average usage per day is about four hours but in summers, it becomes almost 8 hours.

Unnecessary refrigerant refilling is the dominant service complaint across Indian households with 68% households complaining of unnecessary refrigerant refilling during servicing, indicating a quality service issue that not only costs to the consumer, but, significantly, to the climate.

Eight in 10 ACs older than five years need annual refilling, and even one-third of newer machines require it, either due to leakage or poor servicing advice. The problem is particularly high in major cities — Jaipur (88%), Delhi (78%), Pune (81%), and Chennai (73%).

"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," 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% annually since 2020.

With increased sales, demand has been rising for HFC-32, the most widely used refrigerant, which has 675 times more 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, the survey notes.