CHENNAI: Households in Chennai are among the worst hit by poor servicing practices in India’s booming air-conditioner (AC) market, with 73% of users reporting unnecessary refrigerant refilling during routine maintenance, a new national survey by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) has found.
The findings, released ahead of World Ozone Day on September 16, are part of a first-of-its-kind national survey covering 3,100 households across seven cities Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Jaipur.
The study reveals that rampant refrigerant leakage and refilling are costing Indian consumers Rs 7,000 crore annually while releasing 52 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions in 2024 alone — equal to the emissions from all passenger cars in the country.
“Servicing has become synonymous with refrigerant refilling in India, unlike global practice, where ACs should require a refill only once in five years,” said Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST. “This has created an enormous financial and climate burden,” he added.
Sanjeev Kanchan, director, Industrial Decarbonisation and ESG, iFOREST, added that the robustness of the survey lends credibility to its findings. “The sample size of 3,100 was scientifically established based on city-wise distribution, with 95% confidence level and 5% error, which can represent the national-level findings.
Credible sources such as the Ozone Cell and India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) provide data on refrigerant production, sales and imports. Refrigerant quantities in ACs and sales growth are established facts and future projections have been made using a conservative approach and are aligned with these sources,” he said.
Chennai’s servicing woes mirror a national trend. Jaipur reported the highest incidence of unnecessary refilling at 88% of households, followed by Pune (81%) and Delhi (78%). Kolkata and Ahmedabad also reported significant complaints. Across India, about 40% of ACs are refilled every year — much higher than the global average.
While Chennai households show limited awareness of refrigerant impacts (64% unaware of climate-friendly alternatives), they, like most Indian cities, are highly conscious of energy efficiency. Nearly 98% of households nationwide own 3-star to 5-star rated ACs, with the 3-star category dominating. Most households also set their thermostats at 23°C–25°C, contrary to the perception of Indians overcooling their homes.
“Contrary to popular belief, Indian households are increasingly aware of energy efficiency, showing a clear preference for 3- to 5-star rated ACs and thermostat settings above 22°C. What’s needed now is similar awareness around climate-friendly cooling solutions and the use of natural refrigerants. Improvements in the servicing sector and skilling of AC technicians can play a crucial role in driving this transition,” Kanchan noted.
The survey estimates that India’s AC stock, currently at 76 million, will more than triple to 245 million by 2035, even at modest sales growth. In 2024, 32,000 tonnes of refrigerants were refilled, at an average cost of `2,200 per unit. Under a business-as-usual scenario, consumer spending on refilling will quadruple to Rs 27,540 crore by 2035.
The climate consequences are glaring. Refrigerant leakage contributed 52 MT CO2e in 2024, projected to rise to 84 MT CO2e by 2035. When combined with electricity use, ACs emitted 156 MT CO2e in 2024 — the same as all passenger cars in India — and will reach 329 MT CO2e by 2035.
iFOREST has called for a comprehensive Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM) regulation, including Extended Producer Responsibility for manufacturers, mandatory recovery and recycling of refrigerants, and skilling of technicians.
The survey suggests that such measures could prevent 500–650 MT CO2e emissions between 2025 and 2035, saving consumers $10 billion and unlocking $25 billion–$33 billion in carbon credits.
A fixable problem
Unnecessary refrigerant refilling is the dominant service complaint across Indian households - 68%
Indian households complain of unnecessary refrigerant refilling during servicing, indicating a quality service issue that not only costs the consumer, but, also burden the climate
The problem is particularly high in major cities - Jaipur (88%), Delhi (78%), Pune (81%), and Chennai (73%)
One-third of households complains that the problem was not resolved by technicians