Energy Conservation Norms for Residential Buildings: Government
Recently, energy conservation norms may be made mandatory for residential buildings.
Recently the government is planning to make new residential buildings compliant with the Energy Efficiency Code. This will avoid the generation of 300 billion power units by 2030.
In this way, electricity savings of Rs 1,20,000 crore will be made.
This code will be applicable to new residential complexes consuming 100 kW load.
The proposal is part of India’s commitment to reduce energy intensity by 45% by 2030. This would require amending the Electricity Conservation Act (ECA).
According to the Electricity Conservation Act, compliance with the Energy Efficiency Code can be made mandatory only for commercial buildings.
In the year 2017, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) released the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) for commercial buildings.
It may be noted that this Bureau was established under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 under the Ministry of Power.
In the year 2018, BEE had issued a separate Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) for residential buildings.
Steps to improve energy efficiency:
- Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIH/GRIH): It has been launched by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI). This green rating helps people assess the performance of their building on certain nationally accepted standards.
- Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme: It has been launched to accelerate the improvement in energy efficiency in energy intensive industries.
- Online Star Rating Tool for Energy Efficient Homes: It is designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption in individual households.
Energy efficiency means less use of energy to do the same work or get the same result.
Energy efficient homes and buildings use less energy to heat or cool and run appliances and electronics. Similarly, energy-efficient manufacturing establishments use less energy to produce goods.
Source – The Hindu
