Context:
- Paris-based International Energy Agency highlighted India’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), 2017 as a ‘notable exception’ among developing countries to have energy efficiency building codes.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE):
- It was set up on 1st March 2002 under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
- Mission: To assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of Act.
- Objective: Reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.
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Update on Energy Conservation Building Codes (ECBC) in India
- The Energy Conservation Building Codes was first released by the Ministry of Power’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in 2007, followed by an update in 2017.
- 23 states have notified rules to enforce Energy Conservation Building Codes compliance, while large states like Maharashtra and Gujarat are still drafting rules.
- Implementing energy efficiency building codes like ECBC is important as buildings in India account for 30 percent of total electricity consumption, a figure expected to reach 50 percent by 2042.
About ECBC 2017: ECBC sets minimum energy standards for commercial buildings.
Objective: Enabling energy savings of between 25 and 50 percent in compliant buildings.
Scope and Application of Energy Conservation Building Codes (ECBC) in Commercial Buildings
- Applicable to commercial buildings like hospitals, hotels, schools, shopping complexes, and multiplexes with a connected load of 100 kW or more, or contract demand of 120 kVA or more.
Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022: it further expands the ambit of building codes in the country.
- It provides for the transitioning of Energy Conservation Building Codes into the Energy Conservation and Sustainability Building Code by incorporating measures relating to embedded carbon, net zero emissions, materials and resource efficiency, deployment of clean energy, and circularity.
- It also makes ECO Niwas Samhita, the residential building energy code, mandatory.
- This is crucial as residential buildings use 75 percent of the total electricity consumed in the building sector.
ECO Niwas Samhita:
- Also called the Residential Energy Conservation Building Code, has been developed by BEE to set standards to limit heat gain and loss and ensure adequate natural ventilation and daylighting potential.
ENS launched in two parts
- Part 1 (2018) sets minimum standards for building envelope for energy-efficient residential buildings.
- Part 2 (2021) of the code focuses on the building’s code compliance and electromechanical systems.
- ENS applies to “Residential buildings” with plot area ≥ 500m2 and “Residential part of Mixed-land use building projects with plot area ≥ 500m2.
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- It primarily looks at six components of building design
- Envelope (walls, roofs, windows),
- Lighting systems, HVAC systems, and
- Electrical power systems and
State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2022
- It is published by BEE which rated states on various energy efficiency parameters.
- Karnataka was the top with 22.5 points out of 25. Telangana, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab followed it.
- Bihar was given the lowest score of 0.5 points. With Bihar, states like Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand were the five worst-rated states for energy efficiency in buildings.
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- The requirements under each of these components are split between mandatory and prescriptive.
- ECBC is for both new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings.Compliant buildings are assigned one of three tags in ascending order of efficiency: Energy Conservation Building Codes, ECBC Plus, and Super ECBC.
Status of ECBC Implementation: Although 23 out of 28 states have notified ECBC rules, only 15 states have notified rules based on the latest ECBC, 2017. These include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala.
- Five states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, J&K, Ladakh, and Manipur — are yet to notify ECBC rules.
Source: Indian Express
November 9, 2023