Govt buildings waste Rs 150 cr of power each year: Shahi

Inefficient energy consumption patterns by most government buildings result in a financial loss of about Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.50 billion) a year. Union Power secretary R V Shahi said that government buildings, on an average, consume electricity of about Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) per year. These buildings waste 20 to 25 per cent of this, he said. "The loss government buildings incur can easily be cut down. We want to start with government buildings to set an example. Hereafter, we will need legislation to ensure reduction of energy consumption. Also, the buildings design should take energy conservation into account," he said. Shahi was speaking at the launch of TERI Green Building Rating System in New Delhi on Monday. The idea is to encourage the concept of green buildings in an increasingly environmentally stressed world, he said. Stressing on the need to enter into an era of 'non-penal compliance on energy efficient methods,' Shahi said there would not be any power shortage if the country uses its resources efficiently. "Today, peak shortage (of power) is 15 per cent and base shortage is 10 per cent. On the other hand, our energy wastage is in the region of 20 per cent. If we are prudent with our energy usage, there would not be any power shortage," he said. He said that it was important to have concepts like Green Building Ratings and that by doing this, TERI had done something that would have far reaching consequences. TGBRS is a novel concept introduced in India by TERI to address the issue of inefficient use and wastage of precious energy resources. The scheme envisages attributing points on five parameters of sustainable design. Buildings that score high on these parameters will be accorded 'star rating.' The parameters that will be considered for sustainable design are site planning, building envelope, building systems, water and waste management, and green design practices. Shahi said that it was paradoxical that nations that had created additional capacity of power reserves were more conscious of saving energy than nations that were suffering from serious shortages. Many nations with these reserves had designed gadgets to save energy at every step, while in India it is the reverse, he said. Shahi said that inefficient lights, air-conditioners, heaters, fridges, pumps and motors should not be allowed to be manufactured. "We want to upgrade specifications to ensure energy efficient gadgets in the next five years," he said. "If factory owners could somehow be persuaded to retrofit, there could be an immediate saving of 23 per cent. We do not want to use penal action, but make people feel responsible enough to do this. We could even think of forwarding loans to companies to retrofit so that there is no financial burden and they do not shy away from it," he said. When President A P J Abdul Kalam was told about the move to make government offices energy efficient, he had said that the movement must start from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The government is now already working on the Rashtrapati Bhavan and would soon move into Parliament House, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and other government buildings, Shahi said. Noted architect Raj Rewal said that India was far behind when it came to eco technology. Future architects, he said, must try to design buildings using non-polluting energy sources. "Buildings in northern India have been grappling with the situation of having to reduce heat during summers and increase heat during winters. Though architects of our generation have been working on several methods, only a rating system would eventually bring out the final outcome," he said. Internationally, voluntary building rating systems have been instrumental in raising awareness of and popularising green design. However, most international rating systems have been tailored to suit the building industry of the country where they were developed. TERI has conducted energy conservation studies for numerous commercial buildings and provided design assistance for many energy efficient buildings. It is helping the Confederation of Indian Industry seek the leadership in energy and environmental design platinum rating for their green business centre building in Hyderabad. TERI has also set up energy efficient offices in Gurgaon, Bangalore and Mukteshwar using solar energy, water management, rain water harvesting and design to good effect. TERI's Director-General, R K Pachauri said it was high time town planners and architects and builders attached top most priority to energy savings.