Solar plant to be must for big buildings

BATHINDA: The state government is all set to make installation of solar plants on rooftops mandatory for commercial buildings with more than 5,000 sq ft covered area. The solar plant will fulfil the major requirement of power of the building.

The state government is all set to make installation of solar plants on rooftops mandatory for commercial buildings with more than 5,000 sq ft covered area. The solar plant will fulfil the major requirement of power of the building. 

Even for approval of the map for shopping complex, hotel, group housing complex and hospitals, now it will be mandatory to get the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Punjab Energy Conservation Building Code (PECBC). 

The commercial building plans with requirement of more than 100 kilowatt would come under this. 

After coming under the PECBC, the power expenditure of these buildings would reduce to 30 to 40 per cent. 

The Punjab Government had given its approval to this new building code in 2016, but it did not implement it. 

However, this rule will be strictly implemented now and PEDA (Punjab Energy Development Authority) is creating an agency for this.

Even the United Nations (UN) is also providing funds to build more green buildings and reducing power consumption. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is working to promote this. 

The Punjab Energy Development Authority has given all information regarding this act in a seminar to all municipal corporations and PUDA officials for implementing the Punjab ECBC. 

Senior architect from the Indian Institute of Architects has given information regarding implementation of this new Act to municipal town planners and assistant town planners. 

The benefits of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and lightening were explained in this seminar. 

To stay away from the dispute for passing the map of the building coming under the new Act, PEDA will start the work by constituting a joint agency along with corporations. 

To install solar system for one kilowatt power, one has to spend Rs 1-1.5 lakh. The state government is also giving 30 per cent subsidy on this and even banks are also offering loans at low interest rate for this.

Rule to be strictly implemented

• Even for approval of the map for shopping complex, hotel, group housing complex and hospitals, it will now be mandatory to get the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Punjab Energy Conservation Building Code (PECBC).
• The Punjab Government had given its approval to this new building code in 2016, but it did not implement it.
• However, this rule will now be strictly implemented and Punjab Energy Development Authority (PEDA) is creating an agency for this.

Source: The Tribune