Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) says a plan to replace one million old (gas-powered) air conditioners with energy efficient ACs will be carried out in the second half of the current fiscal year (started in March).
The plan has been approved by the government's Economic Council. Local manufacturers will produce efficient and low-consumption air conditioners, IRNA reported.
About 70% of households use water air coolers or air conditioners in summer. However, electricity consumption of air conditioners is five times higher than water coolers.
In the hot summers, due to the massive use of air conditioners and chillers, which add pressure on power infrastructure, grids are more likely to face power failure and cuts.
Replacing old ACs will help reduce load on the national grid during peak hours by at least 1,600 megawatts and help cut electricity bills by at least 35%.
The project is estimated to cost $650 million, 65% of which will come from the government. Volunteer subscribers who want to replace their air conditioners will pay the remaining 35% of the cost in 24-month installments charged on their electricity bills.
Rising Temperatures
With one degree of increase in temperature power consumption rises between 500 and 700 megawatts.
Rising temperatures are a permanent feature of large parts in Iran for half a year, especially in the southern and central desert areas where the mercury jumps to 50 degrees Centigrade.
The country used 47,960 MW on May 23 as it prepares for higher electricity demand in the sweltering summer. This figure was 4,560 MW higher than the same time last year -- another sign of climate change and the worse to come.
Network load reached 58,000 MW during peak hours last fiscal year and is expected not to exceed 61 gigawatts this summer. Installed power capacity has reached 84 GW.
Need for Policy Action
According to analysis by the International Energy Agency that stresses urgent need for policy action to improve cooling efficiency, the growing use of air conditioners in homes and offices around the world will be one of the top drivers of global electricity demand in the next three decades.
Global energy demand from air conditioners is expected to triple by 2050, requiring new electricity capacity equal to the combined electricity capacity of the United States, the EU and Japan today.
The global stock of air conditioners in buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up from 1.6 billion today – which amounts to 10 new ACs sold every second for the next 30 years, according to the report.
Using air conditioners and electric fans to stay cool already accounts for about a fifth of the total electricity used in buildings around the world – or 10% of all global electricity consumption.
But as incomes and living standards improve, the growth in AC demand in hotter regions is set to soar.
