RE Feature

Sanchar Bhawan Statesman House

 

BEE Star
rating for
buildings
An initiative to promote
energy efficiency in
buildings
Reserve Bank of India


The BEE developed Energy

Conservation Building
Code (ECBC) is currently a
voluntary programme, with a
number of states adopting it
as a mandatory requirement.
Sanjay Seth
Nafed


April 2011
Volume 4 ● Issue 5 33
 RE Feature
T
he last couple of decades have seen a significant
increase in the share of the service sector in the
Indian economy leading to an ever increasing
demand for office space. A demand which started
in metro cities, that too only in central business districts
(CBDs), has now expanded to the suburbs of the metros as
well as to tier II and tier III cities in the country. Modern
office buildings cater to higher quality working standards,
essential for sectors like information technology, financial
services etc., for attracting customers as well as employees.
However, the energy performance index (EPI) of such
spaces in India ranges from 200 to 400 kWh/sq m/year
whereas similar buildings in developed nations have an EPI
of less than 150 kWh/sq m/year.
The importance and need for energy efficiency has been
growing among the government, corporate and individual
consumers in India. Apart from an urge to develop a
sustainable environment, the need to reduce the cost of energy
has also been a motivator for the various stakeholders. It has
been estimated that globally building activities contribute
about 50 per cent of air pollution, 42 per cent of greenhouse
gases, 50 per cent of all water pollution, 48 per cent of all solid
wastes and 50 per cent of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to
the environment, thus vindicating the concern.
The increasing energy needs
Buildings account for approximately 30 per cent of the overall
electricity consumption in the country, it is critical that
Future trend of building sector in India
120000
100000
80000
Million sq ft
60000
40000
950
20000 730
2900
16300
2005
Residential
Source: Growth of Indian Building Sector (CWF, 2010)
34 April 2011
Volume 4 ● Issue 5
policy interventions are made to improve energy efficiency
in both new construction as well as existing buildings.
Commercial buildings or establishments have been included
in the list of industries and other establishments under the
Energy Conservation Act (2001), but so far they have not
been notified as a Designated Consumer. The rapid increase
in the energy intensity of commercial buildings has been
under the government scanner for a while now. Though
the overall share of the commercial sector in electricity
consumption is only about 6.6 per cent, it has been growing
at a rate of 11-12 per cent over the last few years. This rate
of increase in energy consumption is much more rapid than
the rate of increase in the floor area of commercial buildings,
which is about 9 per cent per year.
Towards achieving energy efficiency
There are a number of measures such as building codes, policy
interventions, labelling/rating systems, appliance standards,
etc. to streamline efforts to promote energy efficiency in the
buildings sector. Building rating systems are a popular tool
to add momentum in achieving energy efficiency. These
help in assessing the level of performance of the building
and provide opportunities in reducing the operation and
maintenance (O&M) costs of the building besides creating a
market pull towards environmentally sustainable buildings.
However, most green rating programmes are based on
design intent and do not rate energy performance of existing
buildings through a systematic evaluation process.
6428
7909
8%
19998
10%
8%
69823
5%
Year 2030
Commercial & Office Hospitality Retail
 RE Feature

In order to enable rapid transformation towards energy

efficiency in buildings, policies and measures that create
a ‘supply push’, such as codes and standards need to be
supplemented by policies and measures that simultaneously
create a ‘demand pull’ as well. This ‘demand pull’ attracts
building users towards energy efficient buildings, and
thus creates a preferential market demand. On the ‘supply
push’ side, BEE has developed the Energy Conservation
Building Code (ECBC) which provides minimum energy
performance standards for energy efficient commercial
buildings with a connected load of 100 kW and above.
The ECBC is currently a voluntary programme, with a
number of states adopting it as a mandatory requirement.
Further both Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) and Green Rating for Integrated Habitat
Assessment (GRIHA) rating systems have adopted ECBC
as a minimum compliance requirement.
BEE has developed a Star Rating programme for buildings
which is based on the actual performance of a building in
In a developing economy like India
terms of its specific energy usage in kwh/sq m/year. This improved energy efficiency is a primary
programme rates office buildings on a 1-5 Star scale, with 5 goal which could be achieved through
Star labelled buildings being the most efficient. The scheme is promotion of higher performance
propagated on a voluntary basis and the label provided under
standards in buildings.
it is applicable for a period of 5 years from the date of issue.
The Star Rating programme provides public recognition to
energy efficient buildings, and creates a ‘demand side’ pull for
such buildings. Various categories of buildings such as office accurate, equitable, and statistically robust rating, because
buildings (day use and business process outsourcing (BPOs)), each building type has unique features that impact
shopping malls, hotels, hospitals and IT parks in the five energy efficiency. BEE has also taken up the exercise of
climatic zones of the country have been identified under the standardisation of energy data collection which assists
scheme. in comparative assessment and target setting in existing
The rating normalises for operational characteristics that buildings. In case of new constructions, benchmarked energy
define the building use, hours of operation, climatic zone and consumption data helps in more effective implementation
conditioned space. Further to provide a useful benchmark of ECBC.
the rating also provides a meaningful comparison to the As the benchmark energy performance of commercial
building’s peer group representing those buildings that buildings also requires energy performance of various elements
have the same primary business function, and operating of building, BEE has initiated an energy rating programme
characteristics. It is important that the rating be based for window facades, insulation, etc. thus equipping the end
on an analysis of national data that accurately reflects the consumer with a more informed choice. In a developing
distribution of energy use for each building type. economy like India improved energy efficiency is a primary
The national energy performance rating is a type of goal which could be achieved through promotion of higher
external benchmark that helps energy managers to assess performance standards in buildings. Building rating and
how efficiently their buildings use energy, relative to similar verification systems are an effective measure to encourage
buildings nationwide. Additionally, building owners and building owners to go beyond the minimum. Creating an
managers can use the performance ratings to help identify awareness of these systems would add substantial momentum
buildings that offer the best opportunity for improvement to promote energy efficiency in buildings. ❂
and recognition.
BEE continuously reviews its technical approach The author is Energy Economist in charge of Building Programme,
to the development of the rating system to ensure an Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, Ministry of Power.

April 2011
Volume 4 ● Issue 5 35