Opinion Greening it

A recent study by the consultancy firm, ICF International, has pointed out that between 2000 and 2011, India saved a total of 791 million tonnes of oil equivalent energy by adopting simple energy-efficient measures, including the use of CFL bulbs, LED screens and lights, five-star rated ACs and refrigerators. In terms of electricity generation, it translates to 10,836 MW, which would have needed 98 million tonnes of coal if it were to be produced by coal-based thermal plants. In a world battling climate change, the achievement in improving energy efficiency through policy interventions and smart technological innovations is significant. It is said a unit of energy saved by a user is greater than a unit produced: production involves losses through transport, transmission and distribution. The success with households owes to an intelligent strategy that evidently convinced the producer and the consumer that both stand to benefit from the new policy and technology. Consumer goods were rated and labelled with regard to energy efficiency and consumers were educated that the extra cost paid at the time of purchase for energy efficient equipment could be recovered by saving on the power bill.

A similar initiative — involving policy intervention and public campaigns — is necessary to convince the building sector about the merits of energy efficiency. The government introduced the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) in 2007, but few new constructions adhere to it. Those that have built in power-saving measures — expensive as of now — are exceptions. Realtors aren’t convinced that green buildings make business sense: according to them, they have to bear the cost while the benefits are reaped by the end-user. The end-user is hardly convinced that it makes economic sense to pay the builder extra for the additional expense since the returns are not immediate. Perceptions and priorities in the sector are out of sync with the global trend for materials, designs and construction practices that save energy.

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A business model that persuades both builders and end-users of the merits of energy efficient construction could be worked out with tax incentives. With scale, the costs would come down, as has happened with CFL lamps and LED lights. Meanwhile, the state should make it compulsory for all new public buildings to adhere to standards prescribed by ECBC.