The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has issued draft regulations on energy audit and energy accounting for distribution companies (DISCOMs), proposing a standardized framework to improve efficiency and reduce losses across the power distribution sector.

Under the proposed regulations, DISCOMs must conduct annual energy audits for each financial year and submit reports within four months of the end of the year.

The regulations, notified under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, will apply to all DISCOMs designated as consumers and will be finalized after a 30-day consultation period.

If a new DISCOM is established after the commencement of these regulations, such DISCOM must conduct its first annual energy audit upon completion of its first financial year from the date of its notification as a designated consumer.

DISCOMs must undertake quarterly energy accounting, with reports submitted within 45 days of each quarter to ensure continuous tracking of energy flow and losses.

The framework emphasizes data accuracy, monitoring, and verification, requiring auditors to validate data consistency and identify energy leakage, waste, and inefficiencies.

DISCOMs must maintain records and make them available to BEE and other authorities when required.

The proposed regulations also prescribe detailed reporting formats covering consumer categories, metering levels, energy input, billing, distribution losses, and transformer data, enabling a comprehensive system assessment.

In January this year, the BEE issued the Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code, which establishes standards to enhance energy efficiency in commercial and office buildings. A key feature of the code is its emphasis on enabling solar integration at the design stage, encouraging developers to account for renewable energy systems early in the project planning process.

Earlier, BEE issued the draft operational procedure for designated consumers to comply with renewable consumption obligations.

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