Best Practices in
Building Energy Code Implementation
NRDC India Initiative
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Building Energy Consumption in India
Commercial
and Residential
Buildings
Everything else
70% of India’s building stock in 2030 are yet to be built.
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Benefits of Building Energy Efficiency
• Save $696 billion worldwide by 2030.
• Reduce lifetime operating costs of
buildings.
• Reduce peak electricity demand.
• Reduce need for more power plants.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Spur innovation in the construction and
building materials sector
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Energy Conservation Building Code
(ECBC)
• A set of standard energy efficiency measures
• Save 1.7 billion kWh of electricity in India
annually
• Applicable to commercial buildings, offices,
hospitals, IT parks, and high-rise residential buildings
• Applicable to buildings with loads larger than
100 kW or 120 kVA
Walls and windows
Building envelope
Lighting
Electric motors
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Energy Conservation Building Code
(ECBC)
• Voluntary at national level
•
Champions States for ECBC adoption:
Rajasthan, Orissa, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal.
*
Source: United Nations Development Program (2011)
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Steps for Implementing ECBC
1.
Adopt energy efficiency measures into building bye laws
2.
Form steering committee to oversee implementation
3.
Train and certify third-party inspectors
4.
Create checklists, certify software to evaluate energy efficiency
5.
Use innovative strategies for implementation:
– Break down EE measures and roll out in phases
– Have a locally adapted code; national-level quality control
– Engage utilities
– Support local bodies by providing policy guidelines, legislative guidance, and
promoting local programs (e.g., Town and Country Planning Organization)
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BEE publishes ECBC.
Min. of Urban Dev. Issues a
directive to state and local level
bodies to start implementing
ECBC.
Urban Development
Departments (UDDs) develop
General Development Control
Regulations (GDCR).
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
write bldg codes compliant with
ECBC.
BEE approves any provisions in
local GDCRs and bye laws
where they are different from
ECBC
State legislature approves
GDCRs and bye laws.
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
enforce those codes at city and
town level.
Urban Development Departments
(UDDs) oversee the activities of
ULBs within each state.
Local Level
State Level
National Level
ECBC Enforcement System
Town Development Offices
(TDOs) include provisions of
GDCR into local bye laws.
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ECBC Development System
Technical advisory and consultancy of
MoUD
Urban and regional planning and
development strategies
Research. Monitoring, and appraisal
of central government schemes and
development strategies
Oversee the activities of ULBs within
each state.
Regulate urban development;
Town planning; regulation of
construction buildings, roads, etc.
Legend
Organization
Central Government
National Action Plan on Climate
Change
Min. of Urban Development
National Mission on Sustainable
Habitat
ECBC
Town and Country Planning
Organization
Urban Development
Departments (UDDs)
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
(e.g., Municipal Corporations,
Municipalities, Nagar
Panchayats)
General Development Control
Regulation (GDCR) (a framework
for building regulation)
Town
Development
Offices
(TDOs)
Building Bye Laws (Individual plot
level building regulation)
ULB
Subcommittee
for proposing
bye law
Document
Comment
State Legislature
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US Example: California Building Code
Implementation
Certificate of
Construction
Design
-Builder, homeowner, or
code consultant prepares
and submits application
materials
- Building Department or
contracted third party
reviews the design
Certificate of
Occupancy
Construction
Occupancy
-During the construction, Building
Department representatives or
contracted third party may make
site visits to make sure the
construction conforms to approved
design
- Remaining building components
such as lighting and solar hot water
that were not approved during the
design phase are reviewed and
approved
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Strategies to Scale Up ECBC Development
System (1/2)
• Roll out the requirements of the code phases
– Give time to designers, builders, and code officials to obtain knowledge and
experience
– Break down the energy efficiency requirements of the code into multiple phases
(tiers), based on the energy saving potential and level of skill training required
• Hire Third Party Contractors for Inspection and Plan Review
– Provide training, certification, and quality control for third parties.
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Strategies to Scale Up ECBC Development
System (2/2)
• Allow local building authorities to modify EE measures based on local
conditions; perform quality control on national level
– Monitor progress towards national compliance targets with regular progress
reviews and random inspections.
– Example: China has a three-level code enforcement system: project-level,
local-level, and national-level.
• Engage utilities and local entities
– Utilities can support customer driven energy efficiency and create demand.
– Support local bodies by providing policy guidelines, legislative guidance, and
promoting local programs (e.g., Town and Country Planning Organization).
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Thank you!
Natural Resources Defense Council
Anjali Jaiswal and Radhika Khosla
ajaiswal@nrdc.org and rkhosla@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org/international/india/
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