Cooling and
Energy Efficiency

With rising temperatures and rapid urbanization, the need for cooling is growing in Indian cities. To help meet these challenges, NRDC India is advising stakeholders on optimizing refrigerant transitions in cooling equipment and strengthening appliance efficiency. NRDC India also provides expertise on passive cooling solutions such as cool roofs and better building design.

Makeup of India’s Cooling Demand (2038)
Opportunity for Countries to Avoid Emissions through More Efficient Cooling (MtCO2) in 2050

India has a long record of leadership under the Montreal Protocol - from their indispensable role in the negotiations that formed the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to, forging a path forward on the Kigali Amendment in 2016. Since then, the Indian government has been an outspoken champion of enhancing energy efficiency in cooling, alongside the HFC phasedown. In 2019, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change published a first-of-its-kind guiding document called the ‘India Cooling Action Plan’, which set several ambitious targets, including reducing refrigerant and cooling demand by about one-quarter in 2038.

Cooling & Efficiency Strategies

1

Conduct new analyses on HFC-phase down pathways for India, basis specific requests from stakeholders, to support India’s implementation of the Kigali Amendment & ICAP.

2

Advise organizations on building the business case for energy-efficient air conditioners through engagement with stakeholders and industry.

3

Advise stakeholders on evaluating the impacts of building energy code compliance and cool roofs implementation by analyzing energy savings and co-benefits to equitable public health and environment.

Energy Efficiency Publications

Advancing Super-Efficient Ceiling Fans in India

REPORT | MARCH, 2026
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India’s HFC Phase-Down Pathways

REPORT | DECEMBER, 2025
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Certification & Licensing of Servicing Practices in India’s Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Sector

REPORT | SEPTEMBER, 2024
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Addressing Rising Demand For Cooling in India with Cool Roofs

Fact Sheet | November, 2022
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Cooling with Less Warming: Scenarios for Phasing Down Hydrofluorocarbons in India

Fact sheet | August, 2022
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India and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

Fact sheet | July, 2021
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Cool Roofs

Fact Sheet | May, 2020
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Prior to 2023, Indian experts worked as consultants with NRDC, and their work was thus hosted on NRDC’s website

Our Experts

Cooling & Energy Efficiency Specialist
Building & Urban Cooling Specialist
Research Associate, Cooling & Energy Efficiency

International Experts

Director, Cooling & Climate Resilience, International

Cooling & Heat Resilience Advocate, International

Senior Super Pollutant Reduction Advocate, Climate & Energy

Senior Director, Industry, Climate & Energy

Senior Director, India, International

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