First energy-efficient building of Andhra Pradesh to be inaugurated in Vizag today
The first super Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) building of Andhra Pradesh, constructed at a cost of ₹14 crore in Sagar Nagar will be inaugurated by Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar on June 27.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has sponsored the building with a capital expenditure of ₹5 crore. Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) built it to conduct training camps for the discom staff from 11 districts. This G+2 building has two floors of 14,400 sft each.
'Constructed on the energy efficiency model and equipped with energy-efficient appliances, the building will help save electricity bills,' APEPDCL CMD I. Prudhvitej said.
The four important energy-efficiency components of the building are sunlight management with proper window dimensions, use of star-rated electrical appliances, variable refrigerant volume AC and renewable energy systems. All the walls are constructed with cavity walls (walls constructed with two layers of masonry).
The outer wall is 8 inches, while the inner wall is 4 inches, with an air gap of 4 inches. With a total wall of 16 inches, triple AAC blocks have been used. Similarly, the windows have also been constructed with three layers of glass panels with a six-inch gap between panels. An under-deck ceiling has been used. A 50 mm rock wood has been used in ceiling, with an air gap between the layers.
'A 50 kW solar roof-top panel has been installed on this building. It is a unique and first such model in the State,' Mr. Prudhvitej said.
A senior BEE official from New Delhi told The Hindu that the ECBC was designed to improve energy efficiency in new commercial buildings across the country, and was launched by the Ministry of Power in May 2007.
The ECBC sets minimum energy standards for new commercial buildings with a contract demand of 100 kW or 120 kVA or more.
At present, the commercial building sector in India is expanding rapidly at over 9% per annum due to strong growth in the services sector.
'Considering the high growth rate in the commercial building sector, the BEE has introduced the ECBC as a voluntary policy measure to reduce the negative impact of buildings on the environment,' the BEE official said.
The targeted beneficiaries of the ECBC are mostly urban local bodies, corporations, power utilities, architects, engineers, builders, firms, developers and even civil engineering students, he added.
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