New Delhi: The government is working on a framework to standardise the default temperatures of air conditioners, including those in vehicles, in the range of 20 to 28 degrees Celsius, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said.

Speaking at a press conference, Lal said consultations are underway with appliance manufacturers and state governments to frame the guidelines.

"Consultations are going on, and once it's over, guidelines will be finalised accordingly. Some states have requested to consider the humidity they have while making the guidelines," he said, without providing a timeline.

Responding to a query on whether the rule would apply to vehicles as well, Lal said the government is also in talks with automakers.

In the same briefing, the minister highlighted major strides in India’s power sector. He said the country successfully met its peak electricity demand of 241 GW on June 9 without any shortage.

"This shows that the country has become power sufficient and is now on track to become a power surplus nation," he said.

Lal noted that India added a record 34 GW of generation capacity in 2024–25, of which 29.5 GW came from renewable sources. This pushed the country’s total installed capacity to 472.5 GW, nearly doubling from 249 GW in 2014.

"In a testament to significant additions in generation and transmission capacities, India's national energy shortage has drastically reduced to a mere 0.1 per cent as of April 2025. This marks a monumental improvement from the 4.2 per cent shortage experienced in 2013-14, ensuring greater power availability for all," he said.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to 100 per cent household electrification, Lal said efforts are being made to make power accessible to everyone, at all times.

In a push to boost energy security and renewable energy integration, the minister also announced a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for 30 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), in addition to the 13.2 GWh already in progress.

The Rs 5,400 crore scheme is expected to mobilise Rs 33,000 crore in investment and meet the country’s BESS needs by 2028.

Lal also said the waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for storage projects has been extended till June 30, 2028. This will benefit Pumped Storage Projects and BESS commissioned before that date.