India's Cooling Action Plan: Perceptions of Refrigeration & RAC Servicing Sector

REPORT

Perceptions of Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Service Technicians on India Cooling Action Plan

Enhancing Servicing Sector Jobs for a Just Transition

25 October, 2023 | Sustainable Cooling

Himanshu Dixit, Shikha Bhasin, Paras Bhattarai, Sunil Mani, and Arnab K. Laha

Suggested Citation: Dixit, Himanshu, Shikha Bhasin, Paras Bhattrai, Sunil Mani, and Arnab K. Laha. 2023. Perceptions of Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Service Technicians on India Cooling Action Plan: Enhancing Servicing Sector Jobs for a Just Transition. New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

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Overview

The rising demand for air-conditioners in India will pose challenges from climate and energy consumption standpoints. The role of trained service technicians will be key in maintaining the rated efficiency and performance of units, as well as ensuring proper lifecycle refrigerant management.

This report tries to capture certain attributes of the room air-conditioner (RAC) servicing sector such as levels of training and awareness of technicians, income drivers and financial status, on-job challenges, as well as technicians’ aspirations and preferences on what should happen in order to revamp the informal RAC servicing sector in India.

It also attempts to understand how service technicians view the government’s existing aims, targets, and programmes pertaining to training and certification, HFC phase-down and skilling in the RAC servicing sector. The study assimilates these perceptions in the context of the prevailing training and certification programmes, to provide recommendations for the roll-out of more effective strategies.

Key highlights

About 57 per cent technicians received their last training/skill workshop more than five years ago.
A majority of technicians either don’t attend the foundational training courses at ITIs and polytechnics or prematurely drop out of training schools, with 40 per cent technicians having no formal training.
About 73 percent of respondents opined that a Government of India (GoI) training programme would be helpful for technicians.
More than 60 per cent technicians reported little to inadequate knowledge about the new refrigerants.
Technicians exhibit little awareness about various social protection and financing schemes. More than 65 per cent technicians had no idea about the government schemes.
About 70 per cent technicians reported that customers call for servicing and maintenance only after the unit breaks down.
About 60 per cent technicians report that customers’ insistence on low payment standards affects their ability to perform all servicing activities.
Formal training and ownership of servicing toolkits increase the odds of higher income attainment by service technicians by 1.82 and 2 times, respectively.

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Himanshu Dixit

Programme Associate

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"Servicing is a key component of ecosystem readiness for deployment of energy-efficient and low-GWP cooling technologies. The way service technicians perceive government initiatives on upskilling, reskilling and certification will determine their uptake and the subsequent adoption of improved servicing standards."

Executive summary

Air-conditioning is one way to mitigate the effects of rising heat on human population, and is therefore rightly acknowledged as a developmental necessity under the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) (MoEFCC 2019). As India rapidly urbanises and grows in population, the need to enable access to cooling in hot temperatures will inevitably increase the prevalence of air-conditioning.

The rise in the access and use of air-conditioning will pose challenges from climate and energy consumption standpoints. First, the refrigerant technologies and fluorinated gases used presently in air-conditioning systems have high global warming potential (GWP). For instance, modelling assessments suggest that with about 10 per cent leakage rate, R410A alone will be responsible for about 16 per cent of total global warming by 2030 (Chaturvedi and Sharma 2015). Second, the energy requirements of a cooling system are substantial. Just the space cooling segment is responsible for about 12 per cent of total electricity use in the country (MoEFCC 2019). Simultaneous use of cooling units by a large number of people put the electricity grid under stress, which results in blackouts as well as high price of electricity to service that power demand. Hence, there is sizeable scope and opportunity to mitigate the primary (caused by refrigerants) and secondary (electricity use) emissions in the cooling sector, as well as make cooling more affordable to the larger populace.

In order to ensure that the cooling sector delivers the potential dividend in terms of climate change mitigation and energy efficiency, the fitness of cooling units during their operational lifecycle has to be maintained. Service technicians, therefore, assume a very important role as regular servicing is crucial to maintaining efficiency and performance. This is true right from the installation of air-conditioners to preventive servicing and maintenance at regular intervals.

The prevailing standards of servicing in India, particularly in the room air-conditioning segment, need substantial improvement, as also recognised and enshrined in the ICAP. Several aspects have been prioritised: training and upskilling of service technicians; access to toolkits; and fixing the supply and demand side of servicing to a) improve the quality of service and b) provide commensurate remuneration for technicians’ time. Deliberations on these plans have been ongoing since the publication of the ICAP. Certain recommended actions have also been implemented but a large-scale roll out hasn’t happened yet.

In this light, through a sample survey of service technicians the report tries to capture certain attributes of the sector such as levels of training and awareness of technicians, income drivers and financial status of technicians, challenges on the job, etc., as well as technicians’ aspirations and preferences in terms of what should happen in order to revamp the RAC informal sector in India. With this background, the report attempts to answer the following research questions:

How do the service technicians view government aims/targets pertaining to training and certification, HFC phase-down and skill needs in the RAC servicing sector?
Based on the way existing plans and policies are perceived, how can the preferences and needs of service technicians be incorporated into the roll-out strategy?

The study adopts a mixed method research design. It’s based on a sample survey with 369 technicians, three focussed group discussions with service technicians, interviews and discussions with experts from OEMs and service providers, and desk research to capture information about the policies directed at the RAC servicing sector.

Key findings

Training

A majority of technicians laid emphasis on good training as well as to following the prescribed servicing practices.

About 57 per cent technicians received their last training/skill workshop more than five years ago.
More than 70 per cent respondents received some kind of certificate for the attended training.
About 73 per cent of respondents opined that a Government of India (GoI) training programme would be helpful for technicians.
Training engenders a preference for working with formal establishments such as OEMs and online service platforms.

Certification

On certification, an overwhelming majority of the surveyed service technicians showed an inclination to get a formal certificate approved by the GoI.

About 75 per cent technicians believed it would be a useful add-on.
73 per cent technicians expressed willingness to take the test to earn the certificate, if required.
Further, 72 per cent technicians also thought that a skill certificate would improve their status as a service technician.

New refrigerants

More than 60 per cent technicians reported little to inadequate knowledge about the new refrigerants.
Online resources remain the leading source for technicians to learn about new refrigerant gases and ways of handling them.

Customer behaviour

About 70 per cent technicians reported that customers call for servicing and maintenance only after the unit breaks down.
More than 55 per cent technicians believed that very few customers care about training or know its importance.
Only 20 per cent technicians reported that their customers actually cared about disposing their units properly after talking to them.
Perception about customer awareness is strongly linked with the practice of good servicing practices (GSPs) by service technicians.

Other insights

The majority of technicians are engaged in servicing work for only about 4-6 months in the year. However, share of technicians working throughout the year is also significant at 23 per cent.
Inadequate compensation is reported to be the primary reason for not following proper servicing practices. About 60 per cent technicians report that customers’ insistence on low payment standards affects their ability to perform all servicing activities.
Formal training and ownership of servicing toolkits increase the odds of higher income attainment by service technicians by 1.82 and 2 times, respectively.
Service technicians reportedly prefer to work with OEMs. About 65 per cent technicians will prioritise working at OEM servicing centres.
Technicians exhibit little awareness about various social protection and financing schemes. More than 65 per cent technicians had no idea about the government schemes.

Key recommendations

A majority of technicians either don’t attend the foundational training courses at ITIs and polytechnics or prematurely drop out of training schools, with 40 per cent technicians having no formal training. Efforts should be made to decrease the drop-out rate. This will have to include:
- assessment of the current drop-out rate;
- understanding the reasons for dropping out and mitigating them; and
- facilitating and incentivising the completion of training by providing campus opportunities.
65 per cent technicians reported a preference for working with OEMs. The discussions with technicians’ groups also brought forth the point about the good quality of training provided by manufacturers. Therefore, an industrial apprentice programme for service technicians in partnership with OEMs and online platforms like Urban Company should be started. Moreover, opportunities to participate in such programmes should also be made available to technicians having no formal association with training schools.
Technicians reported an increasing relevance of digital networks in training and learning. Hence, training programmes should leverage the digital infrastructure and technicians’ networks to deliver informative material, campaigns and outreach for knowledge camps. Going forward, an e-training platform should be developed to increase the reach of training initiatives.
A combination of oral, written and hands-on testing modules should be prepared and widely shared in the technicians’ network through bodies like RAMA, RASSS, RATA and ISHRAE.
About two-third technicians showed interest in taking a test to get certified. An e-testing portal can be developed to encourage technicians to apply for certification. The candidates can then be summoned for hands-on testing to complete the testing process. This will reduce the stress on the physical testing infrastructure.
The survey found considerable overlaps between the servicing of different equipment types which require different levels of knowledge and skills. Therefore, certification has to be linked to various skill levels. Two criteria can be kept in mind for this: (1) type of servicing job; and (2) type of cooling equipment. A clear typology of different kinds of servicing jobs such as installation, regular maintenance which includes dry and wet servicing, electronics repair, refrigerant recovery, etc. should be created. Standards of servicing for different cooling equipment segments should be developed and widely popularised.
Significant linkage was seen between customer awareness and practice of GSPs by the technicians. To leverage this trend, a customer guidelines document should be prepared that includes important questions to be asked of the technician while servicing. Customers should be sensitised about the importance of adequate compensation and training of technicians. Campaigns to discourage them from choosing the lowest cost option should be undertaken.
More than 65 per cent technicians had no idea about the social safety schemes of the government. Awareness campaigns to educate technicians about the existing social security schemes must be initiated. The e-network of service technicians should be leveraged in order to reach as many technicians as possible. As the next step, certification should be used as a criterion to provide access and benefits of other specific schemes such as accidental insurance, income support, etc.
With an eye to encourage micro-entrepreneurship among service technicians, credit support through micro loans for certified technicians can be provided through an appropriate mechanism. OEMs should be encouraged as well to support technicians in procuring the right tools through their CSR budgets and campaigns.

FAQs

What is the India Cooling Action Plan?

It is a strategy to provide sustainable cooling in India across different sectors including residential and commercial buildings, as well as cold chains in healthcare, agriculture, and commercial applications. Prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, it discusses how this sustainability potential of the cooling sector can be leveraged via research and development on green cooling technologies and training of service technicians. The ICAP also provides three concrete targets to be achieved by 2037-38, alongside short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations to meet them.
What do air conditioning service technicians do?

Servicing technicians are to an air conditioner, what a doctor is to us. A technician understands the anatomy of an AC and can check for any abnormal functionality that can damage the health of an AC. In addition to periodically and safely cleaning the unit for optimal efficiency, the technician also diagnoses and fixes any mechanical problems that can impair cooling. While we may go to a doctor only in the case of illness, it is common wisdom that preventive health check ups help diagnose problems early on. Similarly, preventive servicing once before the AC season starts and once after it ends i.e., pre- and post- summer cleaning is important.
What is the benefit of air conditioner service?

1. Saves electricity. 2. Enhances and maintains the cooling performance of the unit. 3. Keeps the AC energy efficient (i.e. cools with less power). 4. Reduces frequent breakdowns. 5. Reduces refrigerant consumption during the working life of AC and thereby reduces direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases. ~15% energy saving by cleaning AC filter (Source: Energy.gov) ~50% reduction in AC performance is avoided (Source: UNEP)
What are good RAC servicing practices?

Servicing your AC is more than just cleaning your AC. Here are seven steps to take care of our AC, so that it can take better care of us. 1. Request for a trained technician who carries calibrated tools, personal protection equipment (PPE), company ID card, and training certificate (where possible). 2. Ensure that the technician performs basic system checks, including the correct refrigerant gas to be used, its tonnage and voltage requirements, AC remote functions, and swinging of blowers, for a complete diagnosis. 3. Request the technician to check electrical connections, wires, and sensors to prevent energy loss, and chances of overheating. 4. Ensure that the technician cleans coils and filters for unhindered exchange of air. 5. Ensure leak detection, testing and leak arresting throughout the AC pipes. 6. After the leak is repaired, ensure that the refrigerant gas is recovered using refrigerant recovery equipment, and not released into the environment at the time of refilling. 7. Ensure that the system is flushed and evacuated before the refrigerant gas is refilled.