5 Essential Appliances For Your Indian Home

When settling into life in Dehradun, there’s a bit of work to be done to set up your new home. Here’s a list of 5 essential appliances that you may have never bought, or even heard of before!

Water filter

A Reverse Osmosis Water Filter (commonly called an “R.O.”) is a necessity for living in India. Water from the taps is not safe for drinking, so you will want to make this one of your very first purchases, and drink bottled water until it’s up and running. (₹7,500-10,000)

Inverter

Power outages are a fact of life in Dehradun, but they rarely last more than a few hours, so you’ll want something to keep the energy flowing. An inverter is a backup battery (usually a modified truck battery) that connects to your main electrical line to keep fans, outlets and lights running when the power goes out. High-powered electrical appliances like refrigerators, water heaters, washing machines, etc. will not be able to run on the inverter. (₹15,000-20,000)

Water Heater

Depending on the property, each bathroom and kitchen will likely need an electric water heater, commonly known as a Geyser (pronounced ‘geezer’). The geyser will be hooked up to a switch on the wall, and will need to be switched on and heated for 10 minutes or more before it’s ready to use. Water heaters of varying size and quality can be found all over Dehradun, and like most household appliances, you can request delivery, setup and installation at the time of purchase. (₹10,000)

Air Conditioner

While Dehradun is known for its relatively temperate climate, the summers can get very hot, and the winters can be cold. Since homes here are neither weatherproofed nor equipped for central air, the temperature inside your home will often be quite close to the temperature outside. Thankfully single-room AC units are readily available for purchase , but they often require holes in walls for installation, so be sure to get approval from your landlord before you buy. Another cooling option is an evaporative ‘swamp cooler’ which is cheaper, and may be enough to get you through the hottest 4-6 weeks before the monsoon rains arrive to cool off the blistering temps in June. (₹30,000-40,000)

Space Heater

You never realize quite how cold 50 Fahrenheit can feel until it is 50 degrees inside your home, and while some AC units include heating elements (ask for a split AC), it is very likely that you will have several rooms (and bathrooms) without. A quality space heater that can be moved around as needed is a life saver in the coldest months of the year. (₹1,500)

ABOUT ETHAN
Ethan moved to Dehradun in 2015 with his family, and has enjoyed introducing people to this amazing city ever since. He loves exploring new places, spending time outdoors, and geeking out about culture. Ethan stays busy developing and running cross-cultural trainings, helping out newcomers to the area, and taking pictures of this incredible part of the world in his spare time.

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