Karnataka topped the State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) for the second year running with an overall score of 82.5 points out of 100 on impactful measures taken in improving energy efficiency in the state.

The state stood first in the SEEI 2020 scoring 70 points out of 100.

The state notified the Karnataka Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Policy 2022-2027 to promote and enhance energy efficiency across different sectors of the economy.

The framework of the SEEI report includes 50 indicators. The report was released by Union Minister for Power R.K. Singh.

Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Telangana follow in the front-runner category (>60 points) while Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Punjab are in the achiever category (50-60 points).

Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh are in the contender category.

Second in the frontrunner category is Andhra Pradesh with a score of 77.5, which was largely driven by state’s regulation Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) or Energy Conservation Building Codes (ECBC) for residential buildings, 2022.

The state has also constituted the Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Awards for the textile industry, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, buildings, and rural panchayats.

The SEEI 2021-22 aims to help drive energy efficiency policies and program implementation at the state and local level. The indicators will help track progress in manage the energy footprint. It will also help institutionalize state-level data capture and monitoring of state energy efficiency activities.

The index has been developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in association with Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy .

Transport

Eleven states have transport policies/ guidelines to improve fuel efficiency. Compared to SEEI 2020, 13 more states have notified state electric mobility policies, bringing the total number of states with such policies to 22. The policy is in the draft stage in two other states.

The 2022 report includes 3 states which have a dedicated budget for energy efficiency activities in the transport sector while 11 have entities to develop capacity and provide technical expertise in transport.

In all, 14 states have policies on electric vehicle (EV) procurement for government use, up from 11 in SEEI 2020. State-run EV charging infrastructure is available in 9 states, and 27 states have ethanol-blended petrol available.

Twenty-two states have energy efficiency public transport programs, and six states have similar programmes for private transport.

Agriculture

Four states have formulated policies to encourage energy efficiency and climate-friendly cold chain infrastructure development. In 2020, only Rajasthan had such a policy.

Compared to SEEI 2020, four new states have introduced policies for integrated water and energy savings in the agriculture sector, bringing the total number of states with such policies to nine in the 2021-22 edition.

Twelve states have an authorized entity to develop capacity and provide technical expertise on energy conservation and efficiency in agriculture to farmers, producer organizations, and other stakeholders across the value chain.

Five states have allocated budgets for capacity building to implement energy efficiency measures in agriculture while 14 states have such programs in place in the agriculture sector.

Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs)

The target for reducing the transmission and distribution loss percentage has been assigned to 95 utilities.

Time of Day (ToD)/ Time of Use (ToU) tariffs for industrial or commercial consumers have been implemented in 25 states. Seven states have ToD/ ToU tariffs for domestic consumers.

The distribution companies (DISCOM) of 20 states have designated a nodal officer to conduct mandatory energy audits, and 24 have submitted periodic energy accounting reports to BEE.

DISCOMs in 26 states have shared the status of feeder metering, whereas only 7 have shared the distribution transformer metering status. Thirteen states reported smart meter installation at the consumer level, and 28 have demand side management programs in place for utility consumers, with Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All being the most common.

In the latest report, 28 states/ UTs improved their scores compared to SEEI 2020. Out of these, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Telangana improved their scores by over 15 points.

Last year, an EP100 report outlined that the global push for energy efficiency is critical for net zero by 2050.

Buildings

In the buildings sector, the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 was notified in 6 additional states in SEEI 2021-22, taking the total number of states with gazette ECBC 2017 notification to 18.

ECBC has been adopted in municipal building bye-laws by 12 states while 17 states – 11 more than last year — conducted training and awareness programs on Eco Niwas Samhita.

Industry

BEE has constituted a Perform, Achieve and Trade cell in each state having Designated Consumers to develop capacity and provide technical expertise on energy efficiency.

Additionally, 6 states have allocated budgets for energy efficiency in industries. A total of 356 industrial units in 24 states and union territories won energy conservation awards through state/ national/industry association awards.