New Delhi, May 11 -- In October 2023, Palava City, an urban township developed by the Lodha Group near Dombivli in Mumbai, was witness to an unusual study. For nine months, the township, in a hot and humid location, took part in a field test of super-efficient AC prototypes. The results of the study, which was conducted by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a Colorado-based clean energy non-profit, along with CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and the Lodha Group, are very encouraging: the test units consumed 60% less energy and could potentially slash electricity bills by half over their lifetime. The study was published last month.

The super-efficient split AC prototypes were among the winners of the Global Cooling Prize-a $3 million challen...