India has launched the Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 (ECBC 2017) — developed by Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) – prescribing the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings across India.
The updated ECBC provides advancements in building technology to reduce building energy consumption and promote low-carbon growth.
ECBC 2017 sets parameters for builders, designers and architects to integrate renewable energy sources in building design with the inclusion of passive design strategies. The code aims to optimise energy savings with the comfort levels for occupants, and prefers life-cycle cost effectiveness to achieve energy neutrality in commercial buildings.
“The code reflects current and futuristic advancements in building technology, market changes, and energy demand scenario of the country, setting the benchmark for Indian buildings to be amongst some of the most efficient globally,” said Pradeep Kumar Pujari, secretary, Power.
ECBC-compliant buildings need to demonstrate minimum energy savings of 25 percent. Additional improvements in energy efficiency performance would enable the new buildings to achieve higher grades like ECBC Plus or Super ECBC status leading to further energy savings of 35 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
With the adoption of ECBC 2017 for new commercial building construction throughout the country, it is estimated to achieve a 50 percent reduction in energy use by 2030. This will translate to energy savings of about 300 Billion Units by 2030 and peak demand reduction of over 15 GW in a year. This will be equivalent to expenditure savings of Rs 35,000 crore and 250 million tons of CO2 reduction.
ECBC 2017 was developed by BEE with technical support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the U.S.-India bilateral Partnership to Advance Clean Energy – Deployment Technical Assistance (PACE-D TA) Program.