Changing cooling energy demand pattern in urban households in India

by
Anna Agarwal (Visiting Fellow, CPR) & Deepaboli Chatterjee (Independent Researcher)

on

Tuesday, 22 February 2022, 3:45 PM IST onwards.

The session will be online via Zoom. To register, kindly fill This Form

The session will also be live-streamed on the CPR Facebook page.

In case of any issues and for any queries, please email at urbanization@cprindia.org

About the Talk:
India’s urbanizing middle class is at the brink of an unprecedented increase in residential cooling demand, yet little is understood about the dynamics of changing cooling consumption. Based on empirical analyses, our work examines a set of fundamental questions around India’s cooling transition. The presentation will cover: How is cooling conceptualized and what cooling strategies do households use? How, when and why are people purchasing and using their air conditioners (ACs)? Who is buying energy-efficient ACs? Is cooling consumption gendered? The presentation will unpack perceptions of thermal comfort, and characterize the conditions under which households have greater AC use and make energy efficient purchase choices. AC usage is found to be a function of household habits (such as exposure to ACs in the workplace or schools), structural factors, and socio demographic features. While most ACs are in the middle energy-efficiency range, preferences, behaviors and awareness around energy efficiency are found to affect AC use as well as influence the purchase of more efficient ACs. Notable gender differences are observed, and women are found to be less involved in decision-making around cooling appliances and less aware of the technical know-how or energy-efficient schemes.

About the Speakers

Anna Agarwal is a Visiting Fellow at CPR’s Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment. Her research is on understanding India’s energy demand transitions, and identifying ways to lock-in low- carbon energy consumption patterns for the long-term. Her work at CPR has focused on residential electricity demand, particularly the cooling demand which would be a substantial driver of future energy needs and carbon emissions. Previously, she has worked at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC- India), and the Brattle Group, a US economics consulting firm. Anna holds a PhD and a SM degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and an undergraduate degree from IIT Delhi.

Deepaboli Chatterjee is an Independent Researcher and was, till recently, a Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Policy Research. Her research interests include gender and labour force participation (supply side), religious violence and inter-group relations, with a focus on South Asia. She has been involved in projects on urban transitions with CASI, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Oxford. She holds a Masters in Statistics from London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi.

This is the hundred and forty-fourth in a series of Urban Workshops planned by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi and Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These workshops seek to provoke public discussion on issues relating to the development of the city and try to address all its facets including its administration, culture, economy, society and politics. For further information, please contact: Aprajita Sarcar of CSH at aprajita[dot]sarcar[at]csh-delhi[dot]com, Mukta Naik at mukta[at]cprindia[dot]org or Marie-Hélène Zerah at marie[hyphen]helene[dot]zerah[at]ird[dot]fr.