Certified Consultant Energy Conservation Building Code(ECBC)

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Energy Conservation Act 2001

“Building” means any structure or erection or part of structure or erection after the rules relating to energy conservation building codes have been notified under clause (p) of section 14 and clause (a) of section 15 and includes any existing structure or erection or part of structure or erection, which is having a connected load of 100 Kilowatt (kW) or contract demand of 120 Kilo-volt Ampere (kVA) and above and is used or intended to be used for commercial purposes;.

Section 14 (p): prescribe energy conservation building codes for efficient use of energy and its conservation in the building or building complex

ECBC – Status of adoption by States

  • Section 15 - Powers of State Government
  • Amend ECBC to suit regional and local climatic conditions and may, by rules made by it specify and notify ECBC with respect to use of energy in the buildings.
  • Section 18 – Power of Central Government or State Government
  • Central Government or State Government may issue directives for efficient use of energy and its conservation
States have used the powers under EC Act to notify/ issue directives for ECBC
Notification can also be done through amendments in local (municipal) building bye-laws

Energy Conservation Building Code

    ECBC
  • minimum energy efficiency standards
  • Applicable to large commercial buildings
  • (connected load of 100 kW/contract demand of 120 kVA and above)
    ECBC prescribes standards for:
  • Building Envelope (Walls, Roofs, Windows)
  • Lighting (Indoor and Outdoor)
  • Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System
  • Solar Hot Water Heating
  • Electrical Systems
While ECBC developed at Central level by BEE, its enforcement lies with the States Ministry of Urban Development developed generic building bye-laws and advisory circulated to include in bye-laws

Key objectives of ECBC 2017 development

  1. Set a long term vision for building energy efficiency
  2. Include new types of buildings
  3. Focus on design strategies for reducing energy use
  4. Establish a baseline of energy performance and promote buildings that go beyond the code
  5. Ease of compliance and enforcement

ECBC - Rules

ECBC 2017 Update Process

ECBC Journey

Long term vision – going beyond the code

Increasing levels of stringency set in ECBC:

Mandatory

  1. Energy Conservation Building Code Compliant (ECBC) Building (MEP)

    2. Voluntery

  2. Energy Conservation Building Code plus (ECBC+) Building
  3. Super Energy Conservation Building Code (SuperECBC) Building

Cost-Benefit Approach for Setting the Stringency Level

  1. Component Approach
  2. Life Cycle Cost Approach
  3. Energy Performance Index (EPI) Approach
  4. Linked to Bench Marking and Star Rating

Highlights of ECBC 2017

Definitions

  • “Building or building complex” mean commercial buildings with connected load of 100 Kilowatt (kW) or contract demand of 120 Kilovolt Ampere (kVA) and above.
  • “Built up area” means the summation of all the total covered areas on all floors of a building from the basement to all story’s including walls etc excluding storage and parking.
  • “Connected load” means the sum of the maximum amount of wattage that is allocated for building or part of a building, who have sought electricity connection for the completed buildings
  • “Compliance Documents” mean the Forms specified in these rules
  • “Certified Energy Auditor for Building” means an energy conservation building energy Auditor given certification in these rules.
  • “Energy Performance Index” or “EPI” of a building means the annual energy consumption expressed in terms of electrical units, namely Kilo Watt Hours (kWh) per square meter of the area wherein energy is used and includes the location of the building and shall be expressed by the following formula:
    Basement E.P.I= Annual energy Consumption in terms of kWh / Total built up area excluding parking
  • ““E.P.I Ratio” of a building means the ratio of the Energy
    • Performance Index of the proposed design to the Energy
    • Performance Index of the Standard Design of a Building

Compliance Mechanism

Prescriptive Method

  • Shall comply with all mandatory measures (Sections 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, 7.2 and 8.2 of the ECBC)
  • shall comply with all the prescriptive requirement (Section 4.3 or 4.4, 5.3 & 7.3)
  • EPI Ratio = EPI (Proposed)/EPI (Standard) = 1

Whole Building Performance Method

  • ❖ Shall comply with all mandatory measures (Sections 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, 7.2 and 8.2 of the ECBC)
  • Shall comply with the requirements specified in section 10
  • EPI Ratio = EPI (Proposed)/EPI (Standard) ≤ 1

Way Forward

  • Mapping of All States with respect to notification, implementation and enforcement of ECBC Code
  • Operations Manual to standardize notification & implementation of ECBC in states
  • Notification in each state and subsequently integration with bye laws of ULBs
  • Launch of ECBC 2017
  • Notification of ECBC Rules
  • Capacity Building of States
  • Inclusion of Residential Buildings in EC Act
  • Hotel sector to be included in PAT Scheme