Govt launches Energy Conservation Building Code

New Delhi: The power ministry recently announced the government has launched the Energy Conservation Building Code for the residential sector in a bid to provide a fillip to energy efficiency efforts.

The new rules, called Eco Niwas Samhita 2018, aim to benefit the occupants and the environment by promoting energy efficiency in design and construction of homes, apartments and townships. "The implementation of this code will have potential for energy savings of 125 Billion Units of electricity annually by 2030, equivalent to 100 million ton of Co2 emission," the ministry said in a statement.

It added the code has been prepared after extensive consultations with all stakeholders, consisting of architects and experts including building material suppliers and developers. Its parameters have been developed based climate and energy related data.

"Initially, Part-I of the code has been launched which prescribes minimum standards for building envelope designs with the purpose of designing energy efficient residential buildings. The Code is expected to assist architects and builders who are involved in design and construction of new residential complexes in different parts of the country," the statement said.

The new code was launched on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day 2018 in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and power minister R K Singh.

The ECBC for commercial buildings is already in place and its updated version was launched in June 2017. Energy demand in the building sector is expected to rise from around 350 billion units in 2018 to around 1,000 billion units by 2030.

A total of 333 industrial units and establishments from across the country participated in this year's National Awards Programme reporting total savings of 3,917 Million units worth Rs 2,000 crores, the ministry said. The government gave awards to 26 industrial units from multiple sectors for their performance on energy efficiency front.

Meanwhile, Power Minister R K Singh said that complete household electrification in the country under the Rs 16,320 crore Saubhagya scheme would be completed latest by February, ahead of the March deadline.

However, it was unanimously resolved at the state power ministers' meet chaired by Singh in July this year that all households in the country would be electrified under the scheme by December 31, 2018.

"We have already electrified 2.2 crore households. We are adding (electrifying) 100,000 everyday. In another one and half month, we would reach our target.

"We had set the target of electrifying every household by March 31, 2019. But we would achieve that target by end January or (by) February," Singh said while addressing a National Energy Conservation Day function here.

According to the latest information on the Saubhagya portal, as many as 2.21 crore households have been electrified under the scheme and 78.65 lakh families are to be energised in the programme.

The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya scheme was launched by Prime Minister on September 25, 2017. Under the scheme, free electricity connections are provided to all households in rural areas and poor families in urban areas. State-run REC Ltd has been designated as the nodal agency for the scheme.