Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE) has took up various policy and regulatory initiatives to enhance energy efficiency of building sector namely ECBC, support for energy assessment & retrofitting process and voluntary star rating programme for commercial buildings.BEE proposed ambitious targets for the 12th plan period,i.e. 75% of all new starts of commercial buildings are ECBC compliant by the end of the 12th plan period and 20% of the existing commercial buildings reduce their energy consumption through retrofits.

New Construction:

The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) was developed by the Govt. of India for new commercial buildings on 27th May 2007. ECBC sets minimum energy standards for commercial buildings having a connected load of 100kW or contract demand of 120 KVA and above. While the Central Government has powers under the EC Act 2001, the state governments have the flexibility to modify the code to suit local or regional needs and notify them. Presently, the code is in voluntary phase of implementation.About 22 states are at various stages of mandating ECBC, wherein most of building construction activities are happening across the country.

To support implementation of ECBC in the built environment, several enabling measures were taken up during 11th Plan period. These included

   
1. Empanelment of ECBC expert architects

Links required: a. Application

b. List of Empanelled ECBC Expert Professionals/Firms

   
1. Development of technical reference material such as ECBC User Guide, Tip Sheets for lighting, envelope, HVAC, simulation

Links required: a. PDF version of the ECBC Code

b. PDF version of ECBC Handbook

   
1. Development of conformance/compliance check tool (ECOnirman) to help architects/ design professionals and code compliance officials to assess conformance with code requirements

Links required: a. ECOnirman Prescriptive

b. ECOnirman WBP

c. ECObench

d. ECBC Conformance Check Tool

   
1. Standard ECBC Training Modules covering various aspects of the code
   
2. Capacity building of various stakeholders like State Designated Agencies (SDA), Municipal corporations, Urban Department, CPWD, state PWD etc.
   
3. Harmonization of ECBC with National Building Code and
   
4. Integration of ECBC with Building Bye-laws.

We may also include a table showing the status of ECBC notification in different states in this section.

Complementing the efforts of the government of India, the ECBC has been integrated in other rating & compliance systems being followed in the country such asEIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) for large area development under MoEF(Ministry of Environment & Forest), Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) rating systemof ADARSH and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

Existing Building:

The scope for energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings is immense. Energy Audit Studies have revealed a savings potential to the extent of 40% in end use such as lighting, cooling, ventilation, refrigeration etc.In order to address this institutional barrier, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has taken up the task of institutionalizing energy efficiency services, and of promoting energy efficiency delivery mechanisms, such as the development of a market for Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), which address the risks perceived by building owners.

ESCOs provide a business model through which the energy-savings potential in existing buildings can be captured, and the risks faced by building owners can be addressed as well. BEE does an accreditation exercise for ESCOs through a process of rating these applicants in terms of success in implementation of energy efficiency projects based on performance contracting, availability of technical manpower, financial strength, etc.. Till date 129 ESCOs have been empanelled by BEE.

Links required: a. Information Required for ESCOs

b. Contact Details – SEBI Accredited Agencies

c. Draft Letter of Request

d. Advertisements

e. List of Empanelled ESCOs

In order to simplify and standardize the retrofitting process, BEE has developed standard templates for Request for Proposal (RfP) with evaluation matrix to assist SDAs/ building owners/ state governments to invite bids from ESCOs, Investment Grade Energy Audit (IGEA) for addressing the gaps in the DPRs, Draft Performance Contract for EE implementation, Standard M & V plan based on IPMVP guidelines.

To create a market pull for energy efficient buildings, BEE developed a voluntary Star Rating Programme for commercial buildings which is based on the actual performance of a building, in terms of energy usage in the building over its area expressed in kWh/sq. m/year. This Programme rates buildings on a 1-5 star scale, with 5-Star labelled buildings being the most energy efficient. So far, about 150 buildings have been rated under various categories.

Links required: a. Star Rating Scheme for Office Buildings

b. List of Office Buildings awarded Star Labels under BEE Star Labeling Scheme

c. Star Rating Scheme for Malls

d.List of Malls awarded Star Labels under BEE Star Labeling Scheme

e. Star Rating Scheme for BPOs

f. List of BPOs awarded Star Labels under BEE Star Labeling Scheme

d. Star Rating Scheme for Hospitals

e. List of Hospitals awarded Star Labels under BEE Star Labeling Scheme

BEE has worked in co-operationwith many international experts and agencies. Learning from their experiences and best practices and adopting them as suited. The Indo-US PACE-D programme, Indo-Swiss BEEP project, UNDP and Indo-EU Programme is some of the noteworthy programs.

Links required: a. Guidelines for Energy Efficient Multi Storey Residential Buildings

b.Brochure - Design Guidelines For Energy Efficient Multi-Storey Residential Buildings

c. Full Document - Design Guidelines For Energy Efficient Multi-Storey Residential Buildings