The Hindu : Kerala News : Conserving energy in buildings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Conserving energy in buildings

Energy saving in a residential building can be achieved through efficient design and construction of buildings. Traditional solutions of providing thermal comfort through extensive plantation–oriented landscaping and heavy mass buildings are still valid.

However, the spiralling land cost and non-availability of certain building materials force us to look for new solutions.

Traditional respect for environment and new scientific developments in modern building material s, structural design and decentralised utilisation of energy efficient systems have all culminated in the recent release of the new Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC2007). This code was issued by the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

Most people are not used to thinking of large buildings such as Information Technology Parks as vast energy gobbling (consuming) units. But that is what they are. In the case of a large office, for example, the combination of design techniques and clever technology can not only reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, but also reduce the running cost, create a more pleasant work environment, improve the employees’ health, reduce accidents, improve productivity and boost property value and rental returns.

In a particular case, it was possible to reduce air-conditioning energy cost by 50 per cent by a simple modification of window glass design. It is not just the consumption of energy that matters. It is the use of energy efficient materials, the avoidance of wastage of water and the use of energy-efficient sub-systems in the building that matter.

The new code gives an opportunity for designers, architects, engineers, developers and builders to synergise their efforts and build a unified energy-efficient building.

New norms - The code specifies the use of energy-efficient glass combinations to maximise day light and minimise cooling loads.

It covers energy usage per unit floor space and gives details of other high energy consuming equipment such as HVAC, lighting, ventilation, etc.

It details the parameters of various building materials that can be used to achieve overall energy efficient performance of the building so as to minimise heat gain and thus cooling cost in summer and heat loss and thus heating costs during winter.

The code is mandatory for commercial buildings or building complexes that have a connected load of 500 kW or larger or a contract demand of 600 kVA or more. It is applicable to all buildings with a conditioned floor area of 1000 sq.m. (10000sq.ft.)

Thermal comfort

Thermal comfort in residential buildings is a basic requirement. People feel comfortable if the indoor temperature is between 24 and 30 degrees C and the relative humidity between 30 and 70 % (BIS 1995) and a wind velocity of 0.25 m/sec.

The real indicator of good thermal performance of a building is the amount of energy consumed per unit area of the building to maintain the comfortable condition. The factors that affect the energy efficiency of the buildings are: Topography, The movement of the sun over the horizon, Climatic condition and wind pattern, Solar radiation and relative humidity,

Building architecture, size, orientation, etc. Structural configuration and building materials used.

Building standards followed Local building practices.Many of the above factors can be favourably changed to improve the energy efficiency based on energy consumption requirement per sq. m of floor area of the building.

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