Bureau of Energy Efficiency and
Energy Conservation Building Code
An Overview
Sanjay Seth
Energy Economist
Bureau of Energy Efficiency
Government of India

Energy Conservation Act, 2001
• Reduction of energy consumption using efficiency and conservation measures.
• Reduce the need to create new capacity thereby saving resources and green house gas emissions.
• Secure environmentally benign and sustainable growth
• Stimulate market transformation in favour of energy efficient products and appliances.
• Created Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) as the nodal agency at the center and State
Designated Agencies (SDAs) at the state level to implement the Act.

• BEE was set up in March 2002 under the provisions of
Energy Conservation Act of 2001 to provide a legal framework for the government’s energy efficiency initiatives in the country.
• The Bureau’s mission is to develop policies and strategies with a thrust on self regulation and market principles with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the
Indian economy.

• Develop and recommend to the Central Government norms for processes and energy conservation standards
• Develop and recommend minimum energy performance standards and labeling design for equipment and appliances
• Develop and recommend specific energy conservation building codes
• Recommend notifying any user or class of users of energy as ‘designated consumers’
• Take necessary measures to create awareness and disseminate information for efficient use of energy and its conservation

Agriculture
30.7%
Transportation
2.8%
Residential
23.4%
Commercial
6.6%
Industrial
36.5%
Sectorial Energy Consumption

HVAC
32%
Energy Consumption in the Commercial and Residential Buildings
Others
8%
Lighting
60%
Refrigeration
13%
Others
10%
TV
4%
EV Cooler
4%
Fans
34%
Lighting
28%
A/C
7%
Commercial buildings
33 billion units
Residential buildings
116 billion units

Building means any structure or erection or part of a structure or erection, after the rules relating to energy conservation building codes have been notified under clause (a) of section 15 or clause (l) of sub-section (2) of section 56, which is having a connected load of 500 kW or contract demand of
600 kVA and above and is intended to be used for commercial purpose

ENERGY CONSERVATION BUILDING CODE [ECBC]
Bureau of Energy Efficiency
Government of India

• Comply with energy consumption norms and standards and/or to prepare and implement schemes for its efficient use and conservation.
• Prescribe energy conservation building codes for its use/conservation in commercial buildings
• State Governments to amend building codes to suit regional and local climatic conditions.
• Direct owners or occupiers of commercial buildings to comply with provisions of building codes.

• ECBC set minimum energy efficiency standards for design and construction
• ECBC encourage energy efficient design or retrofit of buildings so that
– It does not constrain the building function, comfort, health, or the productivity of the occupants
– Has appropriate regard for economic considerations (life cycle costs i.e. construction
+ energy costs are minimized)

• BEE would take suitable steps to prescribe guidelines for energy conservation building codes
• Central Government can prescribe energy conservation building codes, and direct owners/occupiers to comply with them
• State Government can modify the code in response to local climate conditions.

• Broad Stakeholder participation
– Building Industry, Manufacturers, Professionals,
Govt. Agencies etc.
• Addresses local design conditions and construction practices
• Emphasis on maximizing building envelope benefits – to encourage better designs
• First generation code – ease of use is a priority
– Both in terms of code requirements and language

¾ An extensive data collection was carried out for construction types and materials, glass types, insulation materials, lighting and HVAC equipment
¾ Base case simulation models were developed
¾ The stringency analysis was done through detailed energy and life cycle cost analysis.
¾ A stringency level for each code component was established
¾ Code was finalized after consideration of comments on a draft version.
Launched by Hon’ble Minister for Power on 27 th May 2007

• Mandatory Scope Covers commercial buildings
• Applies to New Construction only
• Building components included
– Building Envelope (Walls, Roofs, Windows)
– Lighting (Indoor and Outdoor)
– Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) System
– Solar Water Heating and Pumping
– Electrical Systems (Power Factor,
Transformers)

1. Five climate zones
2. Composite (Delhi)
3. Hot Dry (Ahmadabad)
4. Hot Humid (Kolkata),
5. Moderate (Bangalore)
6. Cold (Shillong)

ECBC Compliance Approaches
Component-based (prescriptive)
¾ requires little energy expertise; provides minimum performance requirements; no flexibility
System-based (trade-off)
¾ allows some flexibility through the balance of some high efficiency components with other lower efficiency components
Whole building design analysis (performance)
¾ allows flexibility in meeting or exceeding energy efficiency requirements (as compared to a baseline building)

ECBC Compliant Design Strategy for a Building
Walls Roof Window Heat/Moisture
Losses
Minimize Conduction
Losses
Use insulation with low U-value
Use insulation with low U-value
Use material with low
U-factor
Minimize Convection
Losses & Moisture
Penetration
Minimize Radiation
Losses
Reduce air leakage & use vapor barrier
Use light colored coating with high reflectance
Reduce air leakage
& use vapor barrier
Use prefabricated windows and seal the joints between windows and walls.
Use light colored coating with high reflectance
Use glazing with low
Solar Heat Gain
Coefficient (SHGC)

Building envelope
¾ Cavity wall with insulation
¾ Insulated and shaded roof
¾ Double glazing and shading for windows
Lighting system
¾ Efficient fixtures
¾ Efficient lamps
¾ Daylight integration
¾ Average LPD < 1 W/ft 2
HVAC system
¾ Load calculation with optimized envelope and lighting system
¾ Efficient chillers
¾ Efficient condenser cooling
¾ Use of geothermal for cooling energy

Base building
EPI = 240 kWh/m 2 per annum
Envelope optimisation
EPI = 208 kWh/m 2 per annum
Lighting optimisation
EPI = 168 kWh/m 2 per annum
HVAC optimisation
ECBC compliant building
EPI = 133 kWh/m 2 per annum
Controls
EPI = 98 kWh/m 2 per annum

Proposed at Shalimarbagh,
New Delhi
¾ Initial energy consumption:
605 kWh/m2 yr
Building envelope
¾ AAC blocks
¾ Insulated roof
¾ Double glazing and shading for windows

Lighting system
¾ Efficient fixtures
¾ Efficient lamps
¾ Daylight integration
¾ Load reduction of 33%
HVAC system
¾ Load calculation with optimized envelope and lighting system
¾ Efficient chillers
¾ Efficient fans for AHUs
¾ Use of VFDs

Base building
ECBC compliant Fortis building, New Delhi
EPI = 605 kWh/m 2 per annum
Envelope optimisation
EPI = 593 kWh/m 2 per annum
Lighting optimisation
EPI = 476 kWh/m 2 per annum
Efficient chiller
EPI = 346 kWh/m 2 per annum
Controls for HVAC system
EPI = 312 kWh/m 2 per annum

Base building
ECBC compliant Triburg building, Gurgaon
EPI = 186 kWh/m 2 per annum
Envelope optimisation
EPI = 165 kWh/m 2 per annum
Lighting optimisation
EPI = 120 kWh/m 2 per annum
HVAC optimisation
EPI = 98 kWh/m 2 per annum
HVAC controls
EPI = 92 kWh/m 2 per annum
Daylight integration
EPI = 86 kWh/m 2 per annum

¾ Energy savings are of the order of 50%
¾ Initial cost increases by 10 to 15%, but payback is obtained in 5 to 7 years
¾ The most cost effective way to meet the ECBC requirement is to design buildings with appropriate regard to climate and sun.
¾ A design not sensitive to sun and climate will have to invest more to meet the minimum ECBC standard

¾ The average energy use (lighting and HVAC) for typical commercial building is 200 kWh/sq. meter/year.
¾ Mandatory enforcement of ECBC shall easily reduce the energy use by 30-40% to 120-160 kWh/sq. meter/year.
¾ Nationwide Mandatory enforcement of ECBC would yield a saving of 1.7 billion kWh for 2007-
2008.

Market Development for EE products
¾ Building Insulation
¾ Energy Efficient Windows (Glass and Frames)
¾ High-Efficiency HVAC Equipment
Improved Design Practices
¾ Lighting and Day-lighting
¾ Natural Ventilation/Free-Cooling Systems
Lower Energy Use and Reduced Electricity Bills
Reduced connected load and Improved Power Factor

Phases
1 Development
2 Implementation Preparation
3 Enforcement
4 Revisions
1 2 3 4
Years
5 6 7 8 9

ECBC Enforcement
¾ Government buildings – enforced by agency
¾ Private & Institutional buildings – enforced via local code process and certified by independent accredited agencies
Market programs
¾ Green Building Rating Systems
¾ Energy Use Certification & Labeling Schemes

Market Development
¾ Design support through Voluntary ECBC-compliant Building Program
¾ DSM Programs (Design Assistance / Rebates)
¾ Green Building Rating Systems
¾ Energy Use Certification & Labeling Scheme
Capacity Building
¾ Checking and Certification Systems for Equipment and Systems
¾ Capacity building of State and Municipal implementing agencies
¾ Accreditation, training and monitoring of certification agencies
¾ Design Manuals, Software, and Training and Technical support for
Architects, Engineers, and Code Officials
¾ Awareness programs for building owners, designers, and users