RESEARCH PAPER

RESEARCH PAPER
ON

“THE ROLE OF ECBC AND NBC IN SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT”

SUBMITTED TO :- SUBMITTED BY:-

AR. SATPAL SIR PARUL JAIN
M.ARCH , 17001506009
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Abstract
The building sector alone represents about 35% energy consumption. Realizing the situation, the
need of the day is to adopt sustainable green building design approach which is the ultimate
solution to reduce the energy demand of the building. Over usage of conventional building
materials not only cause global warming but also affects the natural resources. Green or sustainable
building use key resources like energy, water, materials, and land more efficiently than buildings
that are just built conventionally. A study has been undertaken for the newly constructed and
existing buildings in order to assess its potential and capacity to save energy. The paper thus deals
with the various energy saving concepts as per ECBC & NBC which can be incorporated at the
time of planning, designing, construction and execution stage to have energy efficiency in
buildings keeping in mind the cost perspective.

Introduction
Sustainability has become increasingly important in the building industry in recent years. A
movement has occurred to construct buildings in a more efficient and sustainable manner by
reducing energy use and the costs associated in operating and maintaining the building. A green
building is an outcome of a design philosophy which focuses on increasing the efficiency of
resource use; energy, water, and materials while reducing the impact on human health and the
environment during the building's lifecycle, through better design, construction, operation,
maintenance and removal.
Environment friendly innovative technologies like energy efficient materials, intelligent gadgets,
energy efficient doors and windows, solar water heating and generating power, rain water
harvesting, rain water harvesting are used by many developers in different parts all over the
country, but now more and more builders and developers are going in for projects that promote an
eco-friendly life style.
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Figure 1. Green Building Design Concept

NBC Gives Regulations Over The Following Parameters:

• PLANNING
• DESIGN
• CONSTRUCTION
• MATERIAL SELECTION
• STRUCTURE DESIGN
• OPERATION
• MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS

Significance
Inclusion of definitions of a number of additional terms such as surface coefficient, surface
resistance, transmission and total thermal resistance. Greater emphasis on ensuring barrier free
design for universal accessibility, as part of approach to sustainability. Review of provisions on
materials and technologies for sustainability and their updating, wherever required. Inclusion of
guidelines for selection of window types.
Modification of the clause on refrigerants for air conditioning to include refrigerants, considering
sustainability aspects. Inclusion of provision for preparation of overall water balance chart, as part
of water and waste management.
The approach to sustainability is to adequately protect public health, safety and welfare and to
provide requirements that do not unnecessarily increase construction cost. It doesn’t restrict the
use of new / innovative materials, products or methods of construction. The benefits of
incorporating measures listed in this Part are not only environment friendly, but also result in much
better health and productivity of occupants.

Approach to sustainability
Need for Sustainable Development :- consumed natural resources due to increasing population,
urbanization, shrink ecological footprint.
Elements of Sustainability :- environmental , social, cultural, economic
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Life Cycle Sustenance :- Pre-Building Phase, Building Phase, Post-Building Phase

Technology Options:- encouraging indigenous environment-friendly and acceptable cost-
effective technologies and practices in identifying and pursuing sustainable developments
amenable to local, cultural and resource diversity
Energy Efficient Design and Processes :- the tapping of renewable source of energy for lighting,
heating, cooling and ventilation needs, deserve special attention.

Reduced Embodied and Operational Energy :- practices should be selected and employed,
aimed at reducing the overall embodied and operational energy involved in construction and
operation of the built facility. The construction should promote sustainability through adoption of
local resources (natural and man-made) and skills.
Integrated Water Management :- The use of water conserving fixtures, landscaping, rainwater
harvesting, aquifer recharging and waste water recycling need to be given due priority
consideration.
Operation and Maintenance of Services:- This should involve use of efficient building and
plumbing services components and fixtures tailor-made to meet sustainability objectives and
creating sufficient awareness among the users of building facility and its services, during the
occupancy stage.
Corporate Governance :- achieving needs for sustainable development at all stages of building
lifecycle (from design to end of life).

Siting, Form And Design

Site Design and Development :- establish, if there are any protected areas such as floodplains;
forest department areas; water bodies such as sea, lakes, rivers, wetlands, public parks and
recreation areas ,natural contours/terrain requiring protection and agricultural land, natural
stormwater, drainage system, top soil and existing vegetation
Building Form, Orientation and Shading :- based on the climatic conditions of the location.
Specifically, the designs should be based on the heating degree days and cooling degree days of
the actual location of the building.
Thermal Massing :- based on the sun-path analysis and local/equivalent weather data.
Reduced Building Footprint in Multi-Storeyed Building Designs :- at least 30 percent of the
open spaces shall be maintained as softscapes
Optimum Building Volume:- design to reduce building volume by reducing floor to floor and
floor to ceiling height without compromising the utility and functional efficiency of the building.
Building Form Development Plan :- prepared on the evolution of the form of the building based
on science of architecture, climatology and building physics. Natural Ventilation, Cooling and
Wind Effects :- include application of cross-ventilation and thermal comfort, factoring prevalent
wind patterns, seasonality, stack effect and other principles
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Defining Building Service Life in Terms of :- minimum design service life shall be not less than
60 years for the structure itself and not less than 10 years for various service components,
equipment and systems within the building. All plan shall include dismantling, de-mounting and
re-use plan.

External Development And Landscape

Landscape Design :- Proper landscaping helps in maintaining natural capacity of site for
stormwater management, filtration, groundwater recharge and maintenance of soil structure.It
helps in moderating microclimate through evaporation, transpiration and the uptake and storage of
carbon in trees and other vegetation.
Microclimatic conditions :- high microclimate factor areas include parking lots, west sides of
buildings, west and south sides of slopes, and areas experiencing wind funnel effects. Areas with
low microclimate factor include shaded areas and areas protected from wind. North sides of
buildings, courtyards, areas under wide building overhangs and north sides of slopes.
External noise reduction/mitigation practices:- noise abatement, such quieter pavement or road
surfacing, dense foliage, earth berms, barriers or screens, and scheduling maintenance activities
when site users are not present. Walls, fences and vegetation may also be used to break, guide,
deflect or filter the wind and thereby alter its effects. Noise may be reduced with use broad-leaved
trees more than with the conifers and this further improves when foliage extends close to the
ground.
Ecological design/conserving biodiversity :- Trees, shaded trellises, green roofs, green facades
and green walls may be used individually or in conjunction with other measures to increase shading
both on the ground and on the building surface. Deciduous trees allow access to the sun in winter
and provide shade in summer. Vegetation provides significant opportunities in conserving building
energy consumption, especially if the west, south-west, south-east and east facades of the building
are shaded.
Vertical landscaping and roof gardens :- Roof garden and/or green walls or vertical landscaping
may be provided as it helps in conserving energy by providing shading, reduces heat island effect,
helps (specially in dense areas) in maintaining a certain biomass critical for human health and also
helps in reducing storm water flow rates through bio-retention.
Rainwater Harvesting . Surface Runoff :- The system of collection of rainwater and its
conservation for future needs has traditionally been
Reduced Environmental Impacts from Parking Facilities:- Open parking areas, if largely made
of concrete and asphalt, absorb heat and contribute substantially to the heat island effect.
External Lighting Design :- The landscape lighting should be designed such that light fixtures
emit minimum light as per the specified total fixed lumens and only light the areas as required for
safety and comfort.

Envelope Optimization

Building Envelope :- The primary component of building envelope which affect the performance
of building are,
a) walls,
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b) roof (including skylights and clerestories),

c) fenestration (openings with or without glazing),
d) floor, and
e) surface finishes.

Materials

• Embodied energy
• Resource reuse and upgradation
• Recycled content
• Reusable or recyclable
• Natural,
• Bio-degradable
• Indigenous or locally available
• Rapidly renewable material
• Materials compliant with clean air and clean water
• Materials having low ozone depletion potential

Materials And Recommended Sustainable :-

• Use of pozzolanas
• fly ash and slag in cement Concrete,
• Ready mixed concrete (RMC),
• Rice husk ash (RHA)
• Use of Burnt clay bricks and tiles
• Hollow/perforated bricks
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• Burnt clay flyash bricks

• Red mud burnt bricks
• Terrazzo in-situ flooring and tiles
• Ceramic/vitrified tiles
• Fibre cement sheets/boards
• Gypsum plaster board
• Stone cladding
Water And Waste Management
• Planning and Design of Water Management
• System
• Planning and Design of Waste Water System
• Water and Waste Management During Construction
• Process Water Requirement and Effluent Treatment
• Planning and Design of Solid Waste
• Management System
• Integrated Approach to Water Supply
• Waste and Solid Waste Management

Building Services Optimization

• Concept Development :-
▪ landscaping (to reduce heat island effect);
▪ optimum building orientation;
▪ arrangement and shape of buildings;
▪ effective surface to volume ratio;
▪ location and size of openings on building
▪ facade and other elevation;
▪ glazing type and performance;
▪ shading devices on windows
▪ selection of building materials.
• Natural and Mechanical Ventilation Strategies :- Natural ventilation is achieved by
infiltration and/or by allowing air to flow in and out of a building through
doors,windows, openings, louvers and Jalis.
• Passive Heating Techniques :- Direct gain method , Indirect gain, Trombe wall, Solar
chimneys .
• Passive Cooling Techniques :- Courtyards , Roof pond with movable insulation etc.
• Low Energy Mechanical Cooling Techniques:- Geothermal heating and cooling, Earth
air tunnel system,
• Lighting :- Renewable energy sources should be emphasized for lighting in the outdoor
having access to ample sunlight.
• Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks :- Electrical traction lifts should be preferred over
hydraulic lifts.
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Building Services Optimization

Renewable Energy :-
• Solar water heating systems
• Solar steam systems for cooking, laundry,etc
• Solar assisted refrigeration/air conditioning systems
• Solar photovoltaic systems
• Other renewable energy sources
Constructional Practices
1. Pre-Construction
2. Planning for Construction
3. Preparation of Construction Management Plan
4. Planning, Monitoring and Control of Environmental Descriptors
5. Work Execution Procedures
6. Effective Use of Water
7. Construction Waste Management
8. Post-Construction Closeout
9. Heritage Buildings and New Construction
10. Alternate Use, Deconstruction, Dismantling and Demolition
11. Disaster Risk Mitigation during Construction

Energy Conservation Building Code(ECBC)

The EC Act empowers the Central Government to prescribe Energy Conservation Building Code
(ECBC) in the country. BEE with technical assistance from USAID supported Energy
Conservation and Commercialization Project (ECO-II Project), a Committee of Experts finalized
ECBC in consultation with various stakeholders. In May 2007, MoP formally launched ECBC for
its implementation in commercial buildings on a voluntary basis. ECBC sets minimum energy
performance standards for commercial buildings that have an electrical connected load of 500 kW
or greater or a contract demand of 600 kVA or more. The Code focuses on building envelope,
mechanical systems and equipment including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC)
system, interior and exterior lighting systems, service hot water systems, electrical power and
motors, and takes into account five climates zones present in India (BEE 2008). Several members
of the ASHRAE 90.1 committee participated in the development of the ECBC.

The structure of the ECBC is patterned after the ASHRAE Standard (ASHRAE 2004), and offers
two compliance approaches: Prescriptive or Whole Building Performance Method. A Trade-Off
Option allows greater flexibility to designers while designing the building envelope. The EC Act
specifies that through ECBC compliance, the overall aim is to develop energy norms and standards
for eligible commercial buildings, expressed in terms of energy consumption per m2 of area. Per
the EC Act, the Central Government can prescribe ECBC for adoption in all the states of India,
the State Governments have the power to amend ECBC to suit regional and local climatic
conditions and direct the building owners and occupiers to comply with ECBC.
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The successful implementation of the code requires development of compliance procedures

(compliance forms and development of field-test compliance forms and procedures), in addition
to building capacity of architects/designers/builders/contractors and government official in States
and Urban and Local Bodies (ULBs). It is also dependent on availability of materials and
equipment that meet or exceed performance specifications specified in ECBC.

The ECBC provides design norms for:

• Building envelope, including thermal performance requirements for walls, roofs, and
windows;
• Lighting system, including daylighting, and lamps and luminaire performance
requirements;
• HVAC system, including energy performance of chillers and air distribution systems;
• Electrical system; and
• Water heating and pumping systems, including requirements for solar hot-water systems.
• The code provides three options for compliance:
• Compliance with the performance requirements for each subsystem and system;
• Compliance with the performance requirements of each system, but with tradeoffs
between subsystems; and
• Building-level performance compliance.
During the development of ECBC, analysis conducted through energy simulation indicated that
ECBC-compliant buildings may use 40 to 60% less energy than similar buildings being designed
and constructed at that time.
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Figure 2. Energy efficient strategy for urban residential setting sustainability

Ministry of Power, Government of India and BEE under EC Act has taken major initiatives to
improve energy efficiency in new commercial buildings through the development of ECBC and
announcing its adoption on voluntary basis in the country.
Though the adoption and implementation of ECBC lies with the State Governments, BEE has been
promoting awareness on ECBC amongst the building designers and the concerned state level
authorities through nationwide awareness workshops and training programs.
Since 2007, USAID supported ECOIII Project has been assisting BEE in this national task and
has developed ECBC User Guide and number of ECBC Tip Sheets to raise capacity of
professionals in the building construction Industry.
However implementation of ECBC at the State level and incorporation of ECBC provisions in real
building designs continue to pose several challenges.
Though no in-depth study has been undertaken so far by BEE or any other organization to analyze
and document problems associated with the implementation process, several barriers have been
identified through interactions with the stakeholders.

These include the following:

• Lack of clarity in the institutional and administrative set up and compliance mechanism at the
state levels to enforce ECBC;
• Inadequate in-depth knowledge and expertise amongst majority of practicing architects,
engineers and consultants, to incorporate ECBC provisions in the building design;
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• High cost of energy efficient building equipment and building materials in the market as a result
of low demand;
• Inadequate products and material testing labs to meet mandatory provisions of ECBC;
• Absence of market forces and lack of awareness among building owners/users on the long term
financial benefits of Energy Efficient/ECBC compliance buildings;
• Inadequacy of faculty and trainers with specialized knowledge and expertise in existing academic
architectural/engineering and professional institutions to educate/train students and professionals
on energy efficiency aspects in buildings.

Considering that the construction sector will experience rapid growth over the next twenty years,
BEE with support from Ministry of Power and Ministry of Urban Development, need to take the
lead in developing an ECBC Implementation Roadmap, which should include the following
components:

Strengthening of institutional/administrative set up and creation of in-house ECBC compliance

cells in municipal authorities in states;
• Identification and authorization of institutions and organizations to function as third party
certification agencies for ECBC compliance in buildings;
• Selection of institutions to enhance capacity of building designers, consultants, educators, etc.
through nationwide training programs on ECBC and building energy efficiency;
• Enhancement of educational curriculum for upcoming architects and engineers in selected
academic institutions to meet growing needs of energy efficiency in buildings;
• Identification and strengthening of existing labs to meet building products’ testing and
certification requirements of ECBC;
• Creation of forums to interact with building materials and equipment manufacturers to create
market pull for efficient products;

Introduction of a scheme that promotes compliance of a few specific easy to implement ECBC
prescriptive provisions as transient strategy in the on-going voluntary compliance phase of ECBC
adoption;
• Recognize/reward building developer/designer for undertaking exemplary work for
implementing measures to meet ECBC compliance partially/fully in buildings.
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Conclusion

Energy efficiency undertakes major functions on sustainable emancipation of institutions and

countries. It has become very important to substitute fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy
as they have been linked to significant reduction in carbon emissions, mitigate climate change as
well as solve many challenges associated with energy poverty. However, it must be emphasized
that ex-ploitation of nonexhaustible sources of energy is only sustainable if they are consumed in
ways that do not cause damage to existing environments. Thus, weak energy policies as well as
inefficient energy technology contribute to unsustainability even when renewable sources of
energy have been adopted. Additionally, an important energy effi-cient strategy towards improving
residential area sustainability involve instituting energy reward systems, improving environmental
quality, estab-lishing green homes, energy saving house ap-pliances, renewable energy utility and
improving public awareness on energy matters. On that ac-count, a sustainable future is imperative
when sound structures that address energy consumption matters have been established,
implemented and adequately furnished with clear monitoring and regulative frameworks.
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References
http://eco3.org/ecbc/
http://www.ibecc.in/learning-ecbc
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/ecbc-for-comm-buildings-mandatory-for-eight-states-
from-fy-12/620445.html
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3752921.ece
www.kredltest.in/Scrollfiles/Draft-ECBC.pdf
www.letusshare.co.in/green-building/ecbc
www.sustainable-buildings.org/wiki/index.php/ECBC