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.

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.

• It primarily looks at six components of building design 
  • Envelope (walls, roofs, windows), 
  • Lighting systems, HVAC systems, and 
  • Electrical power systems and 

• 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