Retrofit Strategy in Existing Building for Implementing Energy Conservation Building Code in India

Abstract

The expanding commercial building sector and urbanization in India leads to an increase in demand of energy many folds. Consequently, it is the need of the current scenario to define some regulatory regime or policy to harness the enormous potential of energy savings. Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the Government of India under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency launched the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) on a voluntary basis. ECBC sets the standards of minimum energy performance for “large commercial buildings. These norms were for both new and existing buildings. Retrofitting of existing buildings offers noteworthy opportunities for reducing global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper provides a systematic approach to review the application of energy conservation building codes in existing buildings and identification of the best retrofit strategies to stimulate the implementation of ECBC in the country.