Climate comfort in the home

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By Rajkamal Rao  

Go back to Comparing Life US v. India

Americans stand alone amongst developed nations in ensuring climate comfort for themselves.  Most homes, cars, public buildings (and even many schools) are air conditioned for the hot summer months and have centralized heating for the winter.  Indian families settled in the US can easily get accustomed to this comfort and may even resort to practices - such as leaving the air conditioning on at home when no one is present to ensure a cool home to return to - that are unthinkable in other parts of the world.  

The situation in India is different.  Air conditioning is still largely a luxury but is definitely available for the returning family.  Almost all cars offer air conditioning as an option.  Many bus companies and the Indian Railways have increased the availability of air conditioning seats for travel.   Domestic room air conditioners are commonly sold in appliance stores (retailing for about INR 26,000 for a 1.5 ton unit) and many upscale homes have at least one room in the home fitted with such equipment.  Returning families can therefore rest knowing that they don’t have to suffer through sweltering nights like they probably did before they migrated to the west.

Availability of electric power to run these air conditioning units is another matter.  India continues to face a severe energy shortage.  Blackouts and burnouts are common in many parts of India, although less so in the major metros.  Businesses and homes resort to backup generating sets but even these are generally limited to providing energy for lighting and some cooking, not climate control.  In general, therefore, air conditioning is available only as long as public power is.

In the cold areas of North India, centralized heating in the winter continues to be an upscale luxury reserved for the very few.  Carpeted homes are rare and concrete or tiled floors further aggravate the problem by not properly capturing what little heat a home can generate.  Most families resort to using a space heater in one or two rooms in the home - and congregate around it during the bitter winter months.