Bureau of Energy Efficiency

and
Energy Conservation Building Code
An Overview

Shabnam Bassi
Energy Economist
Bureau of Energy Efficiency
Government of India

Energy Conservation Act, 2001

Reduction of energy consumption using
efficiency and conservation measures.
Reduce the need to create new capacity thereby
saving resources and green house gas
emissions.
Secure environmentally benign and sustainable
growth
Stimulate market transformation in favour of
energy efficient products and appliances.
Created Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) as
the nodal agency at the center and State
Designated Agencies (SDAs) at the state level to
implement the Act.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

BEE was set up in March 2002 under the provisions of
Energy Conservation Act of 2001 to provide a legal
framework for the governments energy efficiency
initiatives in the country.
The Bureaus mission is to develop policies and strategies
with a thrust on self regulation and market principles with
the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the
Indian economy.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

Develop and recommend to the Central Government norms
for processes and energy conservation standards
Develop and recommend minimum energy performance
standards and labeling design for equipment and
appliances
Develop and recommend specific energy conservation
building codes
Recommend notifying any user or class of users of energy
as designated consumers
Take necessary measures to create awareness and
disseminate information for efficient use of energy and its
conservation

Sectorial Energy Consumption

Energy Consumption in the Commercial

and Residential Buildings

Commercial buildings
33 billion units

Residential buildings
116 billion units

Building in EC Act 2001

Building means any structure or erection or part of a
structure or erection, after the rules relating to
energy conservation building codes have been
notified under clause (a) of section 15 or clause (l)
of sub-section (2) of section 56, which is having a
connected load of 500 kW or contract demand of
600 kVA and above and is intended to be used for
commercial purpose

ENERGY CONSERVATION BUILDING CODE [ECBC]

Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Government of India

Electricity Use in the Commercial

Sector is increasing !

Background : ECBC
Comply with energy consumption norms
and standards and/or to prepare and implement
schemes for its efficient use
and conservation.
Prescribe energy conservation building codes for
its use/conservation in commercial buildings
State Governments to amend building codes to
suit regional and local climatic conditions.
Direct owners or occupiers of commercial
buildings to comply with provisions of building
codes.

What are Energy Conservation

Building Codes?
ECBC set minimum energy efficiency standards
for design and construction
ECBC encourage energy efficient design or
retrofit of buildings so that
It does not constrain the building function,
comfort, health, or the productivity of the
occupants
Has appropriate regard for economic
considerations (life cycle costs i.e. construction
+ energy costs are minimized)

ECBC Provisions in the EC Act 2001

BEE would take suitable steps to prescribe
guidelines for energy conservation building codes
Central
Government
can
prescribe
conservation
building
codes,
and
owners/occupiers to comply with them

energy
direct

State Government can modify the code in response

to local climate conditions.

ECBC Development Approach

Broad Stakeholder participation
Building Industry, Manufacturers, Professionals,
Govt. Agencies etc.

Addresses local design conditions and

construction practices
Emphasis on maximizing building envelope
benefits to encourage better designs
First generation code ease of use is a
priority
Both in terms of code requirements and language

ECBC development Process

An extensive data collection was carried out for
construction types and materials, glass types, insulation
materials, lighting and HVAC equipment
Base case simulation models were developed
The stringency analysis was done through detailed
energy and life cycle cost analysis.
A stringency level for each code component was
established
Code was finalized after consideration of comments on a
draft version.

Launched by Honble Minister for Power on 27 th May 2007

ECBC Scope
Mandatory Scope Covers commercial buildings
Applies to New Construction only
Building components included
Building Envelope (Walls, Roofs, Windows)
Lighting (Indoor and Outdoor)
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) System
Solar Water Heating and Pumping
Electrical Systems (Power Factor,
Transformers)

Addressing Climate Zones

Variations
1. Five climate zones
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Composite (Delhi)
Hot Dry (Ahmadabad)
Hot Humid (Kolkata),
Moderate (Bangalore)
Cold (Shillong)

ECBC Compliance Approaches

Component-based (prescriptive)
requires little energy expertise; provides minimum
performance
requirements;
no
flexibility

System-based (trade-off)
allows some flexibility through the balance of some
high efficiency components with other lower efficiency
components

Whole building design analysis (performance)

allows flexibility in meeting or exceeding energy
efficiency requirements (as compared to a baseline
building)

Building Envelope Design

ECBC Compliant Design Strategy for a Building
Heat/Moisture
Losses

Walls

Roof

Window

Use insulation with

low U-value

Use insulation
with
low U-value

Use material with

low
U-factor

Minimize Convection Reduce air leakage

Losses & Moisture
&
Penetration
use vapor barrier

Reduce air
leakage
& use vapor
barrier

Use prefabricated
windows and seal
the
joints between
windows and
walls.

Minimize Radiation
Losses

Use light
colored
coating with
high
reflectance

Use glazing with

low
Solar Heat Gain
Coefficient (SHGC)

Minimize
Conduction
Losses

Use light colored

coating with high
reflectance

ECBC Impact Case Studies

Case study 1 :
CESE, IIT Kanpur
Building envelope
Cavity wall with insulation
Insulated and shaded roof
Double glazing and shading
for windows
Lighting system
Efficient fixtures
Efficient lamps
Daylight integration
Average LPD < 1 W/ft2
HVAC system
Load calculation with
optimized envelope and
lighting system
Efficient chillers
Efficient condenser cooling
Use of geothermal energy

Case study 1 :
CESE, IIT Kanpur
Base
building

EPI = 240 kWh/m2 per

annum
Envelope optimisation

EPI = 208 kWh/m2 per

annum
Lighting optimisation

EPI = 168 kWh/m2 per

annum
HVAC optimisation

EPI = 133 kWh/m2 per

annum
Controls

ECBC
compliant
building

EPI = 98 kWh/m2 per

annum

Case study 2: Fortis Hospital

Proposed at Shalimarbagh,
New Delhi
Initial energy consumption:
605 kWh/m2 yr
Building envelope
AAC blocks
Insulated roof
Double glazing and
shading for windows

Case study 2: Fortis Hospital

Lighting system
Efficient fixtures
Efficient lamps
Daylight integration
Load reduction of 33%
HVAC system
Load calculation with
optimized envelope and
lighting system
Efficient chillers
Efficient fans for AHUs
Use of VFDs

Case study 2 : Fortis Hospital

Base building

EPI = 605 kWh/m2 per annum

Envelope optimisation
EPI = 593 kWh/m2 per annum
Lighting optimisation
EPI = 476 kWh/m2 per annum
Efficient chiller
EPI = 346 kWh/m2 per annum
Controls for HVAC system

ECBC compliant Fortis

building, New Delhi

EPI = 312 kWh/m2 per annum

Case study 3: Triburg office

Base building

EPI = 186 kWh/m2 per annum

Envelope optimisation

EPI = 165 kWh/m2 per annum

Lighting optimisation
EPI = 120 kWh/m2 per annum
HVAC optimisation
EPI = 98 kWh/m2 per annum
HVAC controls
EPI = 92 kWh/m2 per annum
Daylight integration

ECBC compliant Triburg

building, Gurgaon

EPI = 86 kWh/m2 per annum

Environmentally Sensitive
Design Makes Sense
Energy savings are of the order of 50%
Initial cost increases by 10 to 15%, but payback is
obtained in 5 to 7 years
The most cost effective way to meet the ECBC
requirement is to design buildings with appropriate
regard to climate and sun.
A design not sensitive to sun and climate will have to
invest more to meet the minimum ECBC standard

National Impact Potential

The average energy use (lighting and HVAC) for
typical commercial building is 200 kWh/sq.
meter/year.
Mandatory enforcement of ECBC shall easily
reduce the energy use by 30-40% to 120-160
kWh/sq. meter/year.
Nationwide Mandatory enforcement of ECBC
would yield a saving of 1.7 billion kWh for 20072008.

Impact of Energy Codes

Market Development for EE products
Building Insulation
Energy Efficient Windows (Glass and Frames)
High-Efficiency HVAC Equipment

Improved Design Practices

Lighting and Day-lighting
Natural Ventilation/Free-Cooling Systems

Lower Energy Use and Reduced Electricity Bills

Reduced connected load and Improved Power Factor

Typical Implementation Schedule

Years
Phases
1 Development
2 Implementation Preparation
3 Enforcement
4 Revisions

Proposed Scheme for Mandatory

Implementation of ECBC
ECBC Enforcement
Government buildings enforced by agency
Private & Institutional buildings enforced via
local code process and certified by independent
accredited agencies

Market programs
Green Building Rating Systems
Energy Use Certification & Labeling Schemes

ECBC Development: Next Steps

Market Development

Design support through Voluntary ECBC-compliant Building Program

DSM Programs (Design Assistance / Rebates)
Green Building Rating Systems
Energy Use Certification & Labeling Scheme

Capacity Building
Checking and Certification Systems for Equipment and Systems
Capacity building of State and Municipal implementing agencies
Accreditation, training and monitoring of certification agencies
Design Manuals, Software, and Training and Technical support for
Architects, Engineers, and Code Officials
Awareness programs for building owners, designers, and users