New Initiatives in Building Energy Efficiency 2021

New Initiatives in Building Energy Efficiency 2021

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Climate change

In news Minister for Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy inaugurated “Aiming for Sustainable Habitat: New Initiatives in Building Energy Efficiency 2021”

Significance of the inauguration

• Building sector is the second largest consumer of electricity after industry but it is expected to become the largest energy consuming sector by 2030. 
• Realizing its importance, the Government of India is focusing on improving energy efficiency across residential as well as commercial building establishments.
• These initiatives will help enhance the energy-efficiency levels in residential buildings thereby leading to sustainable habitation. 
• With future-driven initiatives like smart home ecosystems, optimizing energy-efficiency in any given structure will surely be the need in the coming years.
• More energy-efficiency means less energy consumption in household and reduced carbon emissions. 

The initiatives launched included:

• Specifying code compliance approaches and minimum energy performance requirements for building services, and verification framework with Eco Niwas Samhita 2021.
• The web-based platform ‘The Handbook of Replicable Designs for Energy Efficient Residential Buildings’ as a learning tool, which can be used to create a pool of ready-to-use resources of replicable designs to construct energy-efficient homes in India.
• Creating an Online Directory of Building Materials that would envisage the process of establishing Standards for energy efficient building materials.
• Announcement of NEERMAN Awards, (National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable & Natural Habitat), with the goal of encouraging exceptionally efficient building designs complying with BEE’s Energy Conservation Building Codes.
• Online Star Rating tool for Energy Efficient Homes created to improve energy-efficiency and reduce energy consumption in individual homes. 
• Training of over 15,000 Architects, Engineers and Government officials on Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 and Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) 2021.

What is BEE?

• The Government of India has set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. 
• Mission: To assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles 
• Primary objective: Reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. 
• This will be achieved with active participation of all stakeholders, resulting in accelerated and sustained adoption of energy efficiency in all sectors.