Aiming for Sustainable Habitat

Context:

Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy today announced various initiatives being taken by Government of India towards energy efficiency in the building sector, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’

Key Highlights:

• Union Minister for Power and MNRE inaugurates “Aiming for Sustainable Habitat: New Initiatives in Building Energy Efficiency 2021”
• Building sector is second largest consumer of electricity after industry but it is expected to become the largest energy consuming sector by 2030.
• Realizing its importance, the Government of India is focusing on improving energy efficiency across residential as well as commercial building establishments.
• With these initiatives it will help to enhance the energy-efficiency levels in residential buildings across the country, thereby leading to sustainable habitation. With future-driven initiatives like smart home ecosystems, optimizing energy-efficiency in any given structure will surely be the need in the coming years.

Aiming for Sustainable Habitat initiative included:

• Specifying code compliance approaches and minimum energy performance requirements for building services, and verification framework with Eco Niwas Samhita 2021.
• The web-based platform ‘The Handbook of Replicable Designs for Energy Efficient Residential Buildings’ as a learning tool, which can be used to create a pool of ready-to-use resources of replicable designs to construct energy-efficient homes in India.
• Creating an Online Directory of Building Materials that would envisage the process of establishing Standards for energy efficient building materials.
• Announcement of NEERMAN Awards, (National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable & Natural Habitat), with the goal of encouraging exceptionally efficient building designs complying with BEE’s Energy Conservation Building Codes.
• Online Star Rating tool for Energy Efficient Homes created to improve energy-efficiency and reduce energy consumption in individual homes. It provides performance analysis to help professionals decide the best options to pick for energy-efficiency of their homes.
• Training of over 15,000 Architects, Engineers and Government officials on Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 and Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) 2021).

‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ is the Government’s endeavour to commemorate India’s 75th anniversary of Independence.  The commemorations will include 75 events for 75 weeks by the Ministry of Power. 

Eco Niwas Samhita

• Ministry of Power launched the Energy Conservation- New Indian Way for Affordable & Sustainable Homes (ECO Niwas) Samhita 2018,
• It is an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R) to give a further fillip to India’s energy conservation efforts.
• The Code was launched on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day 2018 which is celebrated every year on 14th of December by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• The code focuses on building envelope, mechanical systems and equipment including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, interior and exterior lighting systems, electrical system and renewable energy.
• It also takes into account the five climates zones (Hot Dry, Warm Humid, Temperate, Composite and Cold) present in India.
• However, it addresses only energy efficiency of buildings. Water and other aspects are not covered under it.

National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable and Natural habitat (NEERMAN)

The National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable and Natural habitat (NEERMAN) Awards for Energy Efficient Building Design in India are being constituted with the objective to acknowledge and encourage exemplary building designs complying with BEE’s Energy Conservation Building Codes.

The NEERMAN Awards will be for two categories of buildings

1. “Commercial” based on ECBC
2. “Residential” based on Eco-Niwas Samhita

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was established in March 2002, as a statutory body by the Government of India under the Energy Conservation Act 2001. 
• It is responsible for spearheading the improvement of energy efficiency of the economy through various regulatory and promotional instruments. The primary goal of BEE is to reduce the energy intensity in the Indian economy.
• It coordinates with State level agencies and energy consumers to perform functions and exercise powers that may be necessary for efficient use of energy and its conservation in India.
• To exert leadership and provide policy recommendation and direction to national energy conservation and efficiency efforts and programs.
• To coordinate energy efficiency and conservation policies and programs and take it to the stakeholders.
• To establish systems and procedures to measure, monitor and verify energy efficiency results in individual sectors as well as at a macro level.
• To leverage multi-lateral and bi-lateral and private sector support in implementation of Energy Conservation Act and efficient use of energy and its conservation programs.
• To demonstrate delivery of energy efficiency services as mandated in the EC bill through private-public partnerships.
• To interpret, plan and manage energy conservation programs as envisaged in the Energy Conservation Act

Source: PIB