CHENNAI: After almost six years since it was introduced by the Centre, the state government has introduced Tamil Nadu Energy Conservation Building Code (TNECBC) 2022 last year. The code aims to target commercial buildings in the state that consume a significant amount of electricity. These buildings will be required to abide by the ‘energy conservation building code’ created by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEEE).
The state’s decision to implement the ECBC code has raised concerns as it ignores the Centre’s ‘Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022’, which substitutes the definition of ‘energy conservation building codes’ with ‘energy conservation and sustainable building code’. The new ‘energy conservation and sustainable building code’ expands the scope to include buildings used or intended to be used as an office or for residential purposes.
However, the state is holding a stakeholders’ meeting on March 16 to discuss the implementation of TNECBC rules rather than the new act passed by the Centre in Parliament. The stakeholder’s consultation will look into the feasibility of inclusion of the ECBC Code in the Tamil Nadu Combined Development Building Rules (TNCBDR).
Ajit Kumar Chordia, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry - Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Chennai chapter, stated that the state is not implementing the Central Act and is implementing the old code that has already been amended under the act passed by the Centre last December. Both commercial and residential buildings consume a significant proportion of energy resources, and the ECBC was considered an essential regulatory tool to curb their energy footprint. The union Power ministry launched the ECBC in 2007, and the revised version was unveiled in 2017.
Implementing either the central act or the ECBC is likely to increase the cost of buildings, causing concern among residential developers. However, Chordia said that the government should implement the Central Act rather than bringing only the commercial buildings under the old ECBC code.
S Sridharan, Director LYRA properties and Chairman, Policy - Housing and Urban development CREDAI National, said that at least the state is implementing the ECBC for commercial buildings. The cost impact on implementation for commercial buildings needs to be studied before implementing it on the residential sector. It should also consider the benefits home buyers would get if they opt for green buildings.
According to a study by the World Resources Institute, India, 41% of electricity consumed in the state was in the buildings sector, while residential buildings consumed 30%. The Central Act aims to help India fulfil its COP-26 commitments and reach 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.