Visakhapatnam will soon get AP’s first model super ECBC (energy conservation building code) -compliant building. The Union Ministry of Power -led Bureau of Energy Efficiency has come forward to offer financial support to AP State Energy Conservation Mission for construction of the super ECBC- compliant building in Visakhapatnam. According to the state officials this will be the third such building in the country.
While 50% of the construction expenditure of this building which is expected to cost cover Rs 10 crore will be funded by the BEE, the remaining matching grant will be provided by the State Government. The BEE has selected AP along with a few other states in the country for the demonstration of super ECBC buildings, which can showcase the performance and high cost benefit of such building.
The super ECBC buildings aim towards a near zero energy consumption for new commercial buildings and are more efficient than the normal ECBC buildings. The ECBC buildings consume 25% less energy while the super ECBC buildings save around 50 percent electricity. With addition of renewable energy on-site the super ECBC buildings can easily become net zero in energy consumption.
Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand said that the government will construct the AP’s first super ECBC building in Visakhapatnam. “This structure will contain all state-of-art technologies to emerge itself as the model demonstration building to the entire nation. In view of the forthcoming G-20 summit working group committee meeting in March-2023 in Vizag, the decision of BEE to support AP in construction of the super ECBC building in Visakhapatnam will hold a greater significance.”
AP has adopted ECBC -2017 code and included it in building bylaws. The State incorporated the ECBC compliance in the online development permissions management system. AP is the only state in the country that has issued a government order for setting up energy conservation cells in all government departments. This shows the strong commitment of the government towards making AP the best state for energy efficiency added Vijayanand. The special secretary thanked BEE for its support to the state for enhancing energy efficiency which helped in saving energy to the tune of around 5,600 million units worth Rs 3,800 crore.
