‘Desi AC’: Jhansi school student built budget air conditioner for ₹1,800, can drop room temperature by 5°C

Jhansi: Class 12 student Kalyani Srivastava once built an air conditioner for just ₹1,800 which could reportedly cool down a room by 4-5°C in an hour. Her invention reportedly made it to a national-level competition linked with IIT Delhi.

With winter approaching in a few weeks across regions in India, the demand for air conditioners is expected to go down. Earlier this month, air conditioner prices witnessed an increase of 5% to 8%, marking the industry's third major price hike of the year amid soaring raw material costs, currency fluctuations, geopolitical shipping disruptions, and regulatory norms.

When schoool student invented desi AC for ₹1,800

In 2017, a 16-year-old student from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, once built a low-cost air conditioner for just ₹1,800. Meet Kalyani Shrivastava, a Class 12 student who invented her ‘Desi AC’. A student of Lokamanya Tilak Inter College at the time, Kalyani reportedly built the device for just ₹1,800.

Kalyani's innovation was aimed at resolving the problem of many families in India's Bundelkhand region, where summers made life difficult. Instead of attempting to replicate a conventional AC, the student wanted to explore whether a basic or affordable setup could provide some relief to those with a limited budget,

“For the people of Bundelkhand, it is not possible that everyone can afford an AC, and the heat is unbearable, so I got this idea and transformed it into a reality which is being appreciated a lot,” she had told Paisa Wapas magazine.

How does the ₹1,800 AC work?

According to multiple reports, Kalyani's device was made using a thermocol icebox and a 12-volt DC fan. The invention allowed air to pass through a cooling chamber before being directed out through an elbow-shaped outlet. The device could reportedly reduce the room temperature by around 4-5°C after an hour.

The cooling system was also described as solar-powered, allowing it to run without electricity. Its simple construction and low reported cost made the creation notable, grabbing headlines.

The device was different to a conventional air conditioner. Unlike a conventional AC, which uses a refrigeration cycle to maintain a temperature, the student's set-up relied on ice and moving air to provide localised cooling. Its performance depended on ambient temperature, humidity, ventilation and the availability of ice.

Harsh Goenka reacts

However, it was truly remarkable and even bagged appreciation from Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises. Goenka had shared on X, “Kalyani Srivastava, a 16 year girl from Jhansi has emerged as a saviour for heat stricken rural people. She has invented an eco-friendly air conditioner costing just Rs.1800, the cheapest in the world. Let’s encourage such talent!”

Reportedly, Kalyani's creation was selected for a national-level model competition associated with IIT Delhi.

About the Author

Sneha Biswas specialises in covering entertainment and pop culture, with a specialisation on Bollywood, Hollywood, OTT platforms, K-pop, K-dramas, and major developments in the US entertainment industry. She believes in telling stories that balance speed with substance, and in making entertainment journalism contextual, culturally aware, and reader-first rather than purely reactive.<br><br> With over six years of experience in digital media, Sneha currently serves as a Deputy Chief Content Producer at Live Mint. She has spent more than three and a half years with the HT Group and returned to the organisation in February 2025, joining Live Mint to uplift the entertainment section. Over the past year, she has been closely involved in entertainment coverage including breaking news, explainers, trend reporting, box office reports and analysis for the audience.<br><br> Sneha is Google News certified, having completed training focused on newsroom best practices, digital reporting, and SEO-driven content strategies. Her work reflects a strong understanding of audience behaviour, search trends, and the evolving consumption patterns of entertainment news across formats.<br><br> Prior to her current role, Sneha has worked across multiple content and editorial functions within digital newsrooms, building expertise in content planning, editing, and real-time coverage. Her professional interests lie at the intersection of entertainment, internet culture, and global pop trends.<br><br> Working for the National city team, Biswas closely follows global entertainment movements while maintaining a strong pulse on what is happening in India.