40% of Iran’s electricity is used for air conditioners

According to Energy Press, the amount of electricity consumption during the peak hours of the network has reached more than 77,500 megawatts, about 10 million gas coolers are activated in the summer season in the country, and about 20,000 megawatts of the country’s electricity consumption during peak hours. which is equivalent to 25% of the country’s total electricity consumption.

In fact, the electricity consumption of gas coolers is 4 to 6 times that of water coolers. This year, the share of cooling and air conditioning systems in the country’s total electricity production has reached about 40% (equivalent to 30,000 megawatts), which indicates the importance of proper management of electricity consumption in this field.

The important point in this is that the continuous increase in the average temperature in the coming years will increase the demand for electricity consumed by cooling and air conditioning systems, and in the absence of applicable plans and policies to optimize electricity consumption in the domestic sector and non-cooperation And people’s participation in the correct management of electricity consumption of cooling devices, we will see an increase in the gap between the electricity supply and demand sectors, which will make the supply of electricity to the household sector difficult in the coming years.

The cooling systems that are used in Iran are different in different places, including the systems that are mainly used in the southern and northern regions of the country due to the hot and humid climate, air conditioners can be mentioned. At present, about 70% of Iranian households use water or gas coolers to cool their living environment, while the power of water coolers is around 500 watts, and in the case of gas coolers, it is over 2000 watts.

In general, it can be said that assuming 1440 hours of operation per year, the annual reduction of energy consumption per device will be 1440 kilowatt hours, thus, by upgrading the energy consumption rating in air conditioners, peak consumption can be reduced up to 4000 megawatts. Considering the different climates in the country and according to the cooling needs of each climate, cooling equipment is the main consumer of electricity and in the summer season, a large share of the peak electricity consumption is related to the cooling load of buildings.

Considering the fact that the energy consumption of gas coolers is much higher than high efficiency water coolers, reasons such as the increasing growth of the gas coolers market in the country and the lack of use of the correct model for the implementation of cooling systems have led to an increase in the share of electricity consumed in the cooling sector of buildings. In many cities and climates of the country, using a water cooler is the best option according to the temperature and humidity.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Energy, replacing a low-efficiency air conditioner with a capacity of 18,000 BTUs per hour with a high-efficiency type and upgrading the energy rating of this equipment from G to A will result in a reduction in power consumption of about one kilowatt. Assuming 1440 hours of operation per year, the reduction in annual energy consumption per device will be 1440 kilowatt hours; This is despite the fact that some worn-out air conditioners that are used lack the minimum acceptable level of energy and consume a lot of electricity.

In general, it can be said that by improving the efficiency of the old and low-efficiency coolers in the country with new and more efficient ones, the peak electricity consumption will be reduced by at least 4000 megawatts. This point mostly includes the state of the public sector and government offices, because on average, they account for between 2,500 and 3,000 megawatts of the country’s cooling load.