The Ministry of Power (MoP) has announced the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018, which is the Energy Conservation Building Code for residential buildings (ECBC-R).

The implementation of this code is expected to boost energy efficiency in the residential sector, its occupants, and the larger environment by promoting energy efficiency in the design and construction of homes, apartments, and townships.

According to the Ministry of Power, the code has been prepared after due consultations with stakeholders, consisting of architects and experts including building material suppliers and developers. The parameters listed in the code have been developed based on a number of parameters such as climate and energy related data.

The statement from Ministry of Power states, “Initially, Part-I of the code has been launched which prescribes minimum standards for building envelope designs with the purpose of designing energy efficient residential buildings.  The code is expected to assist large number of architects and builders who are involved in design and construction of new residential complexes in different parts of the country. Implementation of this code will have potential for energy savings to the tune of 125 billion units of electricity per year by 2030, which is equivalent to about 100 million ton of Co2 emission.”

An ECBC for commercial buildings was already in place and a revised and updated version of ECBC for commercial buildings was launched in 2017.

In 2017, Mercom had reported the launch of the ECBC-2017 guidelines. The ECBC 2017 prescribes the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed in India. It prescribes standards for current as well as future advancements in building technology to further reduce building energy consumption and promote low-carbon growth by setting parameters for builders, designers, and architects to integrate renewable energy sources in building design with the inclusion of passive design strategies.

It is estimated that energy demand in the building sector will rise from around 350 billion units in 2018 to approximately 1,000 billion units by year 2030.

While launching this ECBC-R, Power Minister R.K. Singh said that the building sector will have highest growth in energy demand in the next 10-15 years. The government is encouraging all building professionals including architects, builders to generate awareness towards energy conservation while constructing new residential homes.

In August 2018, Mercom reported about the  Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) releasing a State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index. BEE also announced recently that it was preparing an energy conservation building code for the residential sector.