‘Energy-efficient buildings needed’

Minister for energy, Shobha Karandlaje, on Monday urged Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) to identify buildings that consume more energy, and talk to their owners to convince them to shift to more efficient systems.

She was speaking at a one-day workshop by KREDL to discuss the implementation of energy conservation building code (ECBC).
She stated that the state government was losing a lot of power. “According to our records, nearly 2000 MW is lost. We believe it is possible to save up to 16 million units (MU) in a day by encouraging energy efficient buildings,” she said.

“Today, irrigation pumpsets for farmers are not metered for various political reasons. We must, at least, focus on changing to energy-efficient pumpsets in districts since they consume maximum power,” she added.

“The government must show commitment and lead the way. Data collection (on energy conservation) in public buildings can then be used to prove the methods to the private sector,” Ajay Mathur, director general of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

Mathur added that while commercial space in the country was growing at a rate of 9% a year, the rate at which energy was being consumed by them was growing at 13% in a year. “Air conditioning is the biggest contributor to this huge energy consumption,” he said.

The ECBC is a set of guidelines for the construction of an energy-efficient building and this would help cut down on power consumption. The BEE, said Mathur, believes in training all stakeholders involved in the implementation like architects, engineers and even the masons.

“We will hold a training programme for them at the end of this month,” he said.