ECBC for commercial buildings mandatory for eight states from FY 12

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI)

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) today said that implementation of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) for commercial buildings will be mandatory for eight states, including Delhi and Maharashtra, from FY 12.

The Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal will also have to make ECBC mandatory for any new construction of commercial buildings coming up in their states from April 2011 onwards, a senior official said.

"From the coming financial year (2011-12), these eight states will have to implement the ECBC norms in all the new commercial constructions," BEE Director General, Ajay Mathur, told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organized by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, here.

The need for energy will increase three-times over the next 15-years in order to sustain development, he said.

"Energy efficiency and renewables are key ingredients of a green energy future. Adoption of energy efficiency practices will also help reduce costs for energy users, energy imports of countries, and result in reduction in pollution," Mathur said.

Make ECBC mandatory for all buildings: Jairam

May 29, 2011 4:23:38 AM

Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi

Minister of State (Independent charge) for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has urged the Delhi Government to make it mandatory for all buildings to reinforce the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) in the Capital.

Inspired by the Delhi Government's example of reinforcing ECBC for all new Government buildings in the Capital, the Union Minister has also written to Chief Ministers of all States asking them to comply with ECBC.

"This is a farsighted move on the part of the Government and is of particular significance because buildings are among the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emission with 25 to 40 per cent of city's total emissions being the result of centralised heating and cooling systems installed there. I would encourage you to consider making the code mandatory for all buildings at some point of time in future. This will send a strong and positive message to all the cities will have sizable impact on reducing long term energy cost," Ramesh said in his letter to the Delhi Chief Minister. The Minister has also appreciated the Delhi Government move to bring a policy on ECBC.

Heating and cooling of buildings is the leading contributor to electricity consumption all over the world today. In the light of this, the Delhi Government has approved ECBC for all buildings of Government, focuses on creating energy-efficient green buildings. The code sets down norms on energy efficiency, ventilation, ceilings, windows, use of materials that do not absorb heat and rain water harvesting, will now be incorporated into building bylaws. All Government housing systems, apart from the actual building code, will also have solar water heating systems as prescribed by the ECBC. Construction work for like complexes of municipalities and local bodies, boards, corporations, Government-aided institutions and other autonomous bodies of the city will follow ECBC.

Buildings will also be audited under the system. Given the huge carbon cost of buildings, the concept of green buildings has become highly popular at international level.

"The Government's initiative is to make the people aware of the code first. After that, it will make it mandatory for the commercial buildings," said a source in the Delhi Government. The ECBC, a flagship scheme run by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, will be enforced on a mandatory basis in Government buildings.

About ECBC user guide

ECBC User Guide has been produced to assist Government of India in the implementation of ECBC, which was launched by Ministry of Power in May 2007. It is hoped that this document will help in creating awareness and enhancing understanding about the ECBC. ECO-III Project has developed Tip Sheets and Design Guides in the past to help in the ECBC implementation efforts. More information as well as electronic copies of all the publications can be accessed at www.eco3.org.

The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), launched on 28 June 2007, is a document that specifies the energy performance requirements for all commercial buildings that are to be constructed in India. Buildings with an electrical connected load of 100 kW or more are covered by the ECBC. The ECBC was developed by an Expert Committee, set up by India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency, with support and guidance from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and significant inputs from various other stakeholders such as practicing architects, consultants, educational institutions and other government organizations.

The successful implementation of the code requires development of compliance procedures (compliance forms and development of field-test compliance forms and procedures), in addition to building capacity of architects/designers/builders/contractors and government official in States and Urban and Local Bodies (ULBs). It is also dependent on availability of materials and equipment that meet or exceed performance specifications specified in ECBC.

BEE with the support of USAID ECO- III Project is promoting ECBC awareness and voluntary adoption through training and capacity building programmes, pilot demonstration projects, and identifying steps for compliance check and monitoring of ECBC. ECBC User Guide was developed to support ECBC implementation by providing detailed guidance to the users on how to comply with the Code. Four ECBC tip sheets on Energy Simulation, Building Envelope, Lighting Design and HVAC are also available and provide useful information on Code compliance at the system level and through Whole Building Performance approach that require knowledge of energy simulation to model the proposed building.

The ECBC provides design norms for:
Building envelope, including thermal performance requirements for walls, roofs, and windows;
Lighting system, including day lighting, and lamps and luminary performance requirements;
HVAC system, including energy performance of chillers and air distribution systems;
Electrical system; and
Water heating and pumping systems , including requirements for solar hot-water systems.

The code provides three options for compliance:

• Compliance with the performance requirements for each subsystem and system;
• Compliance with the performance requirements of each system, but with tradeoffs between subsystems; and
• Building-level performance compliance.
• During the development of ECBC, analysis conducted through energy simulation indicated that ECBC-compliant buildings may use 40 to 60% less energy than similar buildings being designed and constructed at that time.

6.6 ECBC User Guide 2009

The purpose of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is to provide minimum requirements for energy-efficient deign and construction of buildings and their systems.

The building sector represents about 33%of electricity consumption in India, with commercial sector and residential sector accounting for 8% and 25% respectively. Estimates based on computer simulation models indicate that ECBC- complaint buildings can use 40 to 50% less energy than conventional buildings. It is estimated that the nationwide mandatory enforcement of the ECBC will yield annual savings of approximately 1.7 billion kWh. The ECBC is expected to overcome market barriers, which otherwise result in under-investment in building energy efficiency.

The ECBC User Guide provides detailed guidance to building owners, designers, engineers, builders, energy consultants, and other on how to comply with the code. It provides expanded interpretation, examples, and supplementary information to assist in applying ECBC during the design and construction of new buildings as well as additions and alteration to existing buildings.

This guide can also be used as a document by "authorities having jurisdiction" in the enforcement of the code once it is made mandatory. The guide follows the nomenclature of the code. It is written both as a reference and as an instructional guide, and can be helpful for anyone who is directly or indirectly involved in the design and construction of ECBC-complaint buildings.