Indian campaign promoting hydrocarbon ACs achieves initial success

By Huiting Jia, Jul 03, 2013, 15:24 2 minute reading

cBalance and Noe21 have created the (F)air Conditioning Campaign to promote hydrocarbon (HC) ACs in India. The campaign has achieved initial success by involving local organisations like the Indian Institution of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and CGH Earth, both early adopters of hydrocarbon ACs. The campaign aims to highlight the benefits of HC ACs such as reduced energy consumption and reduced electricity bills. 

The (F)air Conditioning Campaign was created after consumer interest groups and associations decided to join forces to work together to protect the planet’s climate. The partnership campaign to promote the use of hydrocarbon ACs in India was started by cBalance from Mumbai and Noe21 from Switzerland in September 2012. 
 
Innovative campaign for hydrocarbon ACs widely supported 
 
Since the beginning, the campaign has been warmly welcomed and supported, with the Indian Institution of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and CGH Earth already registered as voluntary early adopters of hydrocarbon ACs in their institutions.
 
The campaign adopts a very innovative method to involve related industry stakeholders in the promotion of hydrocarbon ACs. It allows stakeholders to join the campaign in multiple ways, as:
 
  • Voluntary adopters: institutions/organisations that adopt natural refrigerant technology and pledge to procure only natural refrigerant-based split unit ACs for all future institutional purchases. 
  • Consumer Ambassadors: organisations that disseminate objective information about the environmental and cost benefits of natural refrigerant-based split unit ACs to consumers. 
  • Academic Ambassadors: educational institutions that integrate stimulation of interest in natural refrigerant-based technology through formal information dissemination as well as projects, discussions, and workshops into its curricula for relevant academic programs.
  • Technical Ambassadors: persons/institutions relied upon for their demonstrable competence and capability to catalyse interest and enhance confidence in natural refrigerant-based technology amongst technical decision makers and amongst commercial and industrial enterprises.

The goal of the campaign is to make the comparative benefits of hydrocarbon ACs well known to all customers, ranging from households to real estate developers in India. Currently, cBalance and Noe21 are working together with various industry stakeholders to help more Indian consumers become familiar with the benefits of hydrocarbon ACs.
 
Greater energy efficiency of hydrocarbon ACs will benefit consumers
 
According to Fair Conditioning, the air conditioning sector is responsible for a major part of world’s F-gas emissions as well as for the largest part of household energy demand in hot and humid climate countries. Currently, 2,000,000 air conditioner units are sold in India every year. Previous generations of air conditioners brought not only cool air to the consumer but also high electricity bills, and also released climate-changing gases. In comparatison, natural refrigerant based R290 ACs offer important advantages, both for the consumer budgets and for the planet. 
 
The creator of the campaign believes that greater energy efficiency of hydrocarbon ACs will benefit consumers for whom ACs weigh heaviest on their electricity bills. They will also help reduce additional energy demand, replacing the high number of inefficient ACs, which in 2012 contributed to widespread power outages in India. 
 
Today Indian-made, hydrocarbon ACs are available. Godrej Industries now sells split systems with hydrocarbon R-290 and has achieved the highest five-star energy efficiency rating and superior “life-cycle climate performance”. 

MORE INFORMATION

By Huiting Jia

Jul 03, 2013, 15:24




Related stories

Sign up to our Newsletter

Fill in the details below