Since heatwave alerts continue in the northern states of India, including Delhi, going to 45 degrees Celsius, a new government’s move to set up AC temperatures can only help more than electricity saving, it can also be a step towards protecting public health.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently announced that a standardized temperature limit for air conditioners would be implemented in areas soon.

Under the new rule, the users will not be able to cool indoor spaces below 20 ° C or will not warm them above 28 ° C.

Regulation is expected to apply to both buildings and vehicles, aimed at curbing excessive energy consumption and reducing environmental impact.

Khattar said, “This is a first kind of experiment.”

While the move is designed as a reaction to climate concerns and rising energy demands, doctors say that the decision can cause meaningful benefits to the body, especially during acute summer months when people rely too much on cooling systems to stay comfortable.

Why AC is ideal for health between 22C and 28C

Senior Advisor in Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Suranjit Chatterjee states that air conditioners set at extremely low temperatures can disrupt the body’s natural capacity to regulate heat.

“When you are sitting in a very cold environment and then suddenly steps out at 44 or 45 degrees, your body experiences a temperature shock,” he tells indiayatody.in. “This infection can emphasize cold, fatigue, or even internal organs.”

He prefers the body from a natural thermostat that is continuously working to maintain internal balance.

However, artificially cold environments can override these mechanisms.

“If your body is not given time to acclimate, it reacts. And this reaction is more serious with elderly people or heart, liver or kidney diseases,” Dr. Chatterjee says.

While the new boundaries of the government caps the minimum temperature in 20 degrees Celsius, Dr. Chatterjee recommends keeping it even more, ideally between 22 ° C and 24 ° C for most people.

“This range provides adequate comfort without creating a harsh temperature difference between the indoors and outside,” they say, the indoor is close to the temperature close to the exterior heat, better your body can adjust.

This is particularly important during the heat conditions (warm, dry winds in North India) when the difference between indoor and external temperatures becomes more extreme.

He also states that temperature preferences are not the same. The ideal setting depends on various factors: the quality of your room face, curtains or insulation, existing health conditions and even day time.

“A room facing the sun may need to cool slightly more, while a person with some medical issues may find low temperatures harmful,” they say.

The government’s mandate also belongs to the long -lasting efforts by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), which in 2020 prescribed 24C as a default setting for room air conditioner.

Reducing cooling demands not only helps individual electricity bills, but also reduces stress on electric grids during peak summer.

“Extreme cooling is neither necessary nor beneficial. Is the ideal a moderate, coherent temperature that supports both comfort and energy conservation,” Dr. Chatterjee insisted.