Importance of energy efficiency improvements in commercial buildings addressed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 15 2019:
Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL) has started a 2 day intensive Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) at Hotel Classic, North AOC, Imphal today.
The workshop under the UNDP-GEF-BEE (United Nations Development Programme - Global Environment Facility- Bureau of Energy Efficiency) project is being held as apart of MSPDCL's undertaking to implement the ECBC.
The inauguration of the workshop was attended by Project Officer ECBC Cell, Manipur, Vidyalakshmi Sapam, ECBC Master Trainers Suhaas Mathur, Rana Pratap Poddar and Nodal Officer, State Designated Agency Manipur, Th Aton Singh.
Speaking at the event, Vidyalakshmi Sapam said that the project aims at Energy Efficiency Improvements in Commercial Buildings (EECB).
The building sector consumes about 40% of the total energy produced globally.
India's building sector consumes about 31% (882 billion units kWh of the total energy production, as per the 2013/14 figures of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.
And out of this, 9% is consumed by commercial buildings, said the officials at the workshop.
Commercial building include offices, hospitals, hotels, retail outlets, educational buildings, Government offices etc.
The fast growing commercial building stock, the electricity consumption in this sector is set to reach unprecedented levels by 2030 .
A major fall-out of such high level of energy consumption is the increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from this sector, they said.
To mainstream energy efficiency in commercial buildings, the Government of India, through Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC ) in 2007 .
Until October 2017, 11 States have made ECBC mandatory for commercial buildings.
Another nine States are in advance stages of making ECBC mandatory, they said.
The ECBC provides minimum energy efficiency requirements for four building systems- building envelope (walls, roof etc), comfort systems and controls (heating ventilation and air conditioning, service water heating), lighting and controls and electrical and renewable energy systems (transformers, motors, power correction, diesel generator set, UPS etc.
While the ECBC has been developed by BEE, its implementation and enforcement lie with the State Government and urban local bodies (ULBs), said the officials.
The goal of the project is to implement ECBC and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission.
Major activities of the project include development of road map for State to implement ECBC, provide technical assistance to design ECBC complaint public building, assist revision of State PD Schedule of rates and Plinth Area Rates (PAR) and update building bye laws to include ECBC clauses and rules, they said.