Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
Introduction
The purpose of the Energy Conservation Building Code (Code) is to provide minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design and construction of buildings. The Code also provides two additional sets of incremental requirements for buildings to achieve enhanced levels of energy efficiency that go beyond the minimum requirements.
The Code is applicable to buildings or building complexes that have a connected load of 100 kW or greater or a contract demand of 120 kVA or greater and are intended to be used for commercial purposes.
Need of ECBC
Building and construction industry roughly take up 40% of world’s energy and 70% of our electricity. With the growing number of buildings each year, there is a need of fulfilling these energy demands and also to minimize our energy use. As the commercial buildings are looking for ways to save power, BEE has come up with Energy Conservation building Code(ECBC), which enables commercial buildings to achieve very high energy efficiency.
ECBC Compliance and Implementation
The Ministry of Power has integrated ECBC at the stage of building approvals which ensures energy efficiency from an earlier stage. Few states in India have adopted ECBC bylaws as a mandatory part in the building bylaws. There is a lack of awareness in this regard, awareness campaigns can be conducted to speed up the policy process.
Compliance Approach
Building types under ECBC
- Assembly: Theatres, transport facilities, multiplexes
- Business: Small, Medium & large office spaces
- Educational buildings: Schools, colleges, Universities, training institutions
- Healthcare: Hospitals, outpatient healthcare centres
- Hospitality: No star hotels, star hotels, and resorts
- Shopping facility: Shopping facility, standalone rentals, open gallery malls, super-markets
What is Energy Performance Index (EPI)?
Energy efficiency of a building needs to be calculated to measure and compare them. The Energy Performance Index (EPI) of a building is its annual energy consumption in kilowatt-hours per square meter of the building. While calculating the EPI of a building, the area of unconditioned basements shall not be included. EPI can be determined by:
