Symphony, in partnership with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), invests in the ‘SAHARA Programme’

A CSR Initiative for deploying Evaporative Air Coolers in Academic Institutions in India

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai, May 2022:  Symphony Ltd., in partnership with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), initiated the first-of-its-kind pilot programme “SAHARA”, an initiative for Supporting Affordable Heat Action for Resilient Academic Institutions in India by deploying Evaporative Air Coolers. It is envisioned to enable a pathway to achieve Thermal Comfort for a Billion Lives (TCBL). This initiative aims to mainstream energy efficient, affordable and sustainable cooling solutions in India’s academic Institutions to bring a paradigm shift at the ecosystem level and enable TCBL.

With around four trillion-person cooling degree days, India is characterised by tropical and sub-tropical climatic conditions coupled with a lack of access to cooling, rising temperatures and ever-evolving socio-economic trends such as rapid population growth and urbanisation, which will not only amplify the climate change-induced heat stress but would also fuel the demand for space cooling.

SAHARA programme would act as a catalyst for disseminating knowledge about the thermal comfort situation in India’s academic institutions. It could bring about systemic changes on multiple fronts in the long term, ranging from enhanced thermal comfort conditions for children in academic institutions, students’ improved willingness to go to school, and improved educational outcomes. SAHARA programme is envisioned to contribute toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3 (Good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) & 13 (climate action).

Mr Amit Kumar, Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Symphony Ltd, mentioned, “It has been substantiated that India’s rapidly changing climate would severely impact the entire ecosystem, particularly children. With rising temperatures and an urgent need to address thermal comfort, we have all forgotten a crucial segment of our nation, the school children. This collaborative initiative would facilitate pathways for enabling more comfortable environments in schools through evaporative air coolers.”

Dr Satish Kumar, President and Executive Director, AEEE, stated, “Climate Crisis has moved beyond the gamut of mitigation to an urgent need for adaptation. Children have been identified as one of the most vulnerable groups adversely impacted by the rising heat stress. Efforts should be made to provide thermal comfort in settings where children, spend a lot of their time during the hottest hours – schools, kindergartens, and other academic institutions. Evaporative air coolers are affordable, less energy-intensive and works especially well during hot season with low to medium humidity. The technology needs to be encouraged for wider adoption in schools as it will also help in reducing the peak electrical load on the grid and provide the much-needed thermal comfort that is critical for better learning.”

The “SAHARA Programme” envisions providing access to thermal comfort for children in India’s academic institutions, which is the most under-looked area. The project’s impact areas are 1) Health and well-being, 2) Refrigerant demand & energy consumption, 5) GHG emissions reduction and

contribution to Net Zero, and 6) Enabling learning conditions, Awareness generation and sensitization.

Symphony Ltd.: Symphony, an Indian Multi-National Company with a presence in over 60 countries, is the world’s largest manufacturer of air coolers. From inventions to innovations, energy responsibility to environmental stewardship, Symphony is a market leader which has been cooling customers for generations. The massive supremacy of Symphony coolers in the residential, industrial and commercial segments has made the brand synonymous with ‘cooling’.

Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy: Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) is one of the leading organisations in India that works on creating awareness about energy efficiency as a resource. It is a policy advocacy and energy efficiency market enabler with a not-for-profit motive. We advocate for data-driven and evidence-based energy efficiency policies and research.