9-Dec-2022: BEE organizes “National Conclave on Accelerating Energy Efficiency in Micro, Small and Medium Sector Enterprises”

Bureau of Energy Efficiency, under Ministry of Power organised the “National Conclave on Accelerating Energy Efficiency in MSMEs” today. Various cluster associations, MSME entrepreneurs and stakeholders discussed and gave inputs for successful implementation of energy efficiency programs in the MSME sector. The National Conclave will contribute to strengthening the operationalization and implementation of the current portfolio as well as a future program to scale up towards an inclusive and sustainable approach to energy efficiency in MSMEs. The National Conclave shall act as a common platform for pooling knowledge and synergizing the efforts made by the projects to various stakeholders, deliberating on strategies and a roadmap to promote energy efficiency in the MSME sector.

During the inaugural session, the success story of the GEF-UNIDO-BEE Project was showcased, followed by the release of policy focussed draft energy efficiency roadmaps for 7 energy-intensive MSME sectors.  Launch of UNNATEE tool for faster adoption of energy efficiency projects in MSME Sectors, which is jointly developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and SIDBI and Draft concept note on Perform Achieve and Earn (PAE) Scheme, a voluntary market-based mechanism for MSMEs for consultation.

Other highlights of the conclave included a technology exhibition, Sessions on thought-provoking deliberations with decision-makers and other key actors in the MSME sector around policy integration, financing, and innovative & disruptive technologies.

Shri Krishan Pal, Minister of State for Power and Heavy Industries graced the conclave with his presence as the Chief Guest. He said that at the heart of India’s vision of a safe planet is a one-word Mantra – Lifestyle for Environment, that Prime Minister Modi outlined in our National Statement at COP26. Mission LiFE was launched by Prime Minister. India is also assuming the Presidency of the G20 in 2023 with the motto of ‘One Earth, One family, One future’. This is a collective journey to be undertaken with equity and climate justice as our guiding principles. Through its strong commitments and focused approach, India is all set to lead by example in the global paradigm shift to combat climate change. The industrial sector in India is one of the major consumers of energy. With the Perform, Achieve, and Trade scheme running successfully for the large industries, the focus should be on now on mainstreaming energy efficiency in the micro, small and medium sector enterprises, he added.

Shri Gurjar further said that the sector holds immense potential in fostering energy efficiency and upgradation of the technologies in routine processes. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of room for improvement in terms of concrete measures, most of the MSME entrepreneurs claim not to have been able to identify any potential savings in their business. To promote, demonstrate and disseminate energy-efficient technologies in the MSME sector, BEE developed the “National Programme on Energy Efficiency and Technology Upgradation in MSMEs” to address the various challenges faced by MSMEs in India.

Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises graced the occasion as Guest of Honour for this National Conclave. He said that inter-ministerial collaboration can help build a sustainable future for the MSMEs, also achieving our climate goals.

The conclave was attended by Shri Alok  Kumar, Secretary Power, Shri Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), , Shri Sanjay Shreshtha, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO, Shri Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and Shri Milind Deore, Director, BEE.

The conclave was graced by the participation of more than 200 participants comprising of Government, multilateral/bilateral agencies, industries, industrial associations, technology providers, and consultants among others. The conclave will strengthen the industrial basis and support BEE’s endeavours of improving the energy efficiency of SMEs. The conclave acted as a bridge to build a sustainable strategy across sectors and distinguished stakeholders.

Background:

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is executing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded national project titled “Promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy in selected MSME clusters in India”. Initiated in 2011, the project aimed to develop and promote a market environment for introducing energy efficiency (EE) and enhanced use of renewable energy (RE) technologies in process applications in selected energy-intensive micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sectors. The project has been supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The project has implemented its programmatic intervention in 26 clusters in five different energy.

India hosts second largest base for MSMEs in the world and has the largest contribution to the GDP. The majority of MSME are yet to adopt energy efficiency (or) technology upgradation measures. Based on the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and Ministry of Power policy focussed interventions, there is huge energy conservation potential and a market for energy-efficient technologies in the sector.

BEE has observed through its programmatic projects, a large section of these MSMEs lacks the consistent technical capacity to identify, access, and adopt better technologies, measures, and operating practices. Recognizing the importance of MSMEs in promoting energy efficiency, BEE provided hand-holding service support to the sector, through its various programs, to improve its technical capacity to identify, access, and adopt better technologies and operating practices. The BEE- SME program aims at improving the energy efficiency of the MSME sector in India through accelerating the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and development of financial of innovative financial mechanisms.

1-Mar-2022: BEE observes its 20th foundation day with the National Innovation Conclave on Low Carbon Technologies

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), commemorated its 20th Foundation Day by organising the National Innovation Conclave on Low Carbon Technologies today here. This conclave provided a platform to present the innovations showing benefits of energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction potential when deployed at a large scale in industrial and commercial sectors. Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) is a project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

Shri R.K. Singh, Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India delivered special address on the occasion. Shri R.K. Singh emphasized that there is a need to establish a robust ecosystem for innovation. We need to help people working in this direction and fill in the gaps for bringing such technologies to market.

At the conclave, Shri Krishan Pa l Gurjar, Minister of State of Power and Heavy Industries, Government of India  said that “Energy saving is our responsibility. It is of immense importance for all of us to take steps in the direction of Energy conservation and make this country cleaner and greener.”

The event showcased many low carbon technology innovations developed and validated with the support of FLCTD project. More than 35 innovators participated in the exposition organised under the event.

On this occasion, a compendium of the FLCTD Accelerator was released and the winners were facilitated. The conclave focussed on the challenges in low-carbon innovation including the need for financing towards commercialization and scale up. The conclave had sessions deliberating on innovating technologies, investments in cleantech innovation and FLCTD’s Accelerator programme.

Since 2018, the FLCTD project has conducted four rounds of innovation challenges.  The project has received 558 applications against the innovation challenges and 59 winners were selected by the expert members. The project is assigning INR 18.55 crores to the winners to validate the innovation in actual field conditions. Already 18 technologies have been validated, and ten technologies got commercialized.

During 2019 FLCTD Accelerator Program was started to provide training and mentoring support to start-ups who are in the early stage of developing clean technology solutions.  FLCTD has collaborated with ‘Start up India’  for the 4-month Accelerator programme, in which industry personnel and potential innovators are provided hands-on guidance to improve their business prospects.

About Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD):

Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) Project was launched in 2016 with an objective to identify innovative energy efficiency and low carbon technology solutions that address the existing technology gaps in Indian industrial and commercial sectors.) FLCTD project is financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

FLCTD has identified six priority technology verticals for ‘Innovation Challenge’. The project conducts annual innovation challenge and invites participation from industry, innovators, and technical institutes in the following areas: Waste Heat Recovery, Space Conditioning, Pumps, Pumping Systems and Motors, Industrial IoT, Industrial Resource Efficiency and Electrical Energy Storage. FLCTD project have already developed 18 new techniques and of which 12 have been commercialised.

9-Dec-2021: BEE Launches  ‘Certification Course on Home Energy Audit’ Initiative

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) virtually launched “Certification Course on Home Energy Audit (HEA)”yesterday, during "National Energy Conservation Week: 8th–14th December 2021", marked as Iconic Week under "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav".

A Home Energy Audit (HEA) enables appropriate accounting, quantification, verification, monitoring, and analysis of energy use of various energy-consuming equipment and appliances in a house and the submission of a technical report with feasible solutions and recommendations for improving energy efficiency, with a cost-benefit analysis and action plan to reduce energy consumption. This would ultimately lead to a reduction in energy bills and the carbon footprint of the consumer.

The certification program will create awareness on importance and benefits of energy audit and energy efficiency and conservation among students from engineering/diploma colleges. This will increase employability of youth in the domain of energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and sustainability.

The Certification Course would enable:

• Creation of a pool of professionals to perform home energy audits based on the needs of the consumer (s);
• Domestic consumers to get Home Energy Audit carried out through respective SDA Certified Home Energy Auditor(s);
• Dissemination of information and raising awareness among engineering/diploma/ITI students, energy professionals, and industry partners about the importance and benefits of energy auditing, energy efficiency, and conservation.

Energy Management Centre, Kerala has been identified as Mentor SDA for the initiative. Other 11 SDAs namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Sikkim, and Telangana have expressed their willingness to run the Certification Course on HEA for respective stakeholders in their states. On successful completion of the certification course, SDA will offer the certificate to qualifying students/personnel.

The welcome address and programme brief were presented by Shri R. K. Rai, Secretary, Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Shri Abhishek Sharma, Joint Director, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, followed by an inaugural address by Shri Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Dr. R. Hari Kumar, Director, Energy Management Centre, Kerala, gave a presentation on “Overview & Way Forward for Certification Course on Home Energy Audit”. The launch event was also attended by Vice Chancellors, Chairpersons, Managing Directors, faculties, and students from various Engineering / Diploma colleges and officials of all State Designated Agencies (SDAs) across the country. More than 300 students from 50 colleges/institutes across country participated in the webinar.

11-Jan-2021: Indian Railways bags 13 awards at the 'National Energy Conservation awards 2020’

Relentless and continuous efforts to provide clean and green transportation to all its stakeholders  and commuters has resulted in Indian Railway bagging 13 awards in three prestigious categories of National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) for the year 2020, organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power.

Western Railway has been awarded the First Prize, Eastern Railway has been awarded the Second prize, North Eastern Railway & South Central Railway has been awarded Certificate of Merit in the Transport Category.

In Building Category, Divisional Railway Manager’s offices at Bhavnagar and Rajkot have won the first and second prize respectively. Electrical Department, DRM Office, North Eastern Railway has been awarded Certificate of Merit.

In Railway workshops subcategory, Diesel Loco Shed, South Central Railway, Vijayawada has bagged the First prize, Kanchrapara Workshop, Eastern Railway, North 24 Parganas has won the second prize. The certificate of Merit has been awarded to Mechanical Workshop, North Eastern Railway, Izatnagar, Central Railway Workshop, Mysore, Mechanical Workshop, Dibrugarh, North East Frontier Railway and Central Workshop, Ponmalai, Southern Railway, Tiruchchirappalli.

These awards have been given to Indian Railways’ zones and workshops for significant improvements in energy conservation by adopting various measures to promote energy efficiency. Indian Railways is committed to improve performance towards energy efficiency and clean environment in the coming years.

10-Jan-2018: Bureau of Energy Efficiency and CPWD sign MoU on promoting energy efficiency in buildings

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), kick starting cooperation in building energy efficiency.

According to the MoU, BEE and CPWD will cooperate on promoting designs and construction of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) compliant new buildings, star rating of CPWD managed buildings across the country with no registration or renewal fee, awareness on energy efficiency in building sector and support for capacity building of CPWD officials in ECBC.

The MoU will remain in force for five years unless rescinded by either party. This association of BEE, a statutory body under Ministry of Power which is mandated to implement policy and programmes in energy efficiency and conservation with CPWD, a premier construction agency of Govt. of India would establish new benchmarks for energy efficient buildings in the country and will support Government of India’s vision for achieving energy security, economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Recently, ECO Niwas Samhita 2018 an Energy Conservation Building Code for residential buildings, to push for energy efficiency in residential sector was launched on December 14, 2018. The code aims for promoting design and construction of homes including apartments and townships to give benefits of energy efficiency to the occupants. During 2017, the Govt. of India had launched the updated version of ECBC-2017 for commercial buildings.

Background:

1. Star Rating for Commercial Buildings

The rapid economic growth in the construction sector would require a large number of new commercial as well as residential buildings and apartments to be constructed in various parts of the country. Commercial building sector in India is expanding rapidly at over 9% per year spurred largely by the strong growth in the services sector. It has been estimated that more than 50% of building stock that will exist in the year 2030 is yet to come up in the country; a situation that is fundamentally different from developed countries. Having regard to the fact that the rate of growth in commercial building sector is amongst the highest, and that, this sector needs to be moderated in its energy consumption BEE introduced the Star Rating for existing buildings as a voluntary policy measure to reduce the adverse impact of buildings on the environment.

The Star Rating Programme for buildings is based on the actual performance of a building in terms of its specific energy usage in kwh/sqm/year. This programme rates office buildings on a 1-5 Star scale, with 5 Star labelled buildings being the most efficient. The scheme is in vogue on a voluntary basis and label provided under it is applicable for a period of 5 years from the date of issue. The Star rating Programme provides public recognition to energy efficient buildings, and creates a “demand side” pull for such buildings. Various categories of buildings such as Day Use Office Buildings, BPOs, Shopping Malls and Hospitals in the five climatic zones have been identified under the scheme. More than 210 buildings have been labelled so far in the various climatic zones covering pan India.

Further, to increase awareness amongst the government buildings, BEE is envisaging to enter into an MoU as CPWD manages Government buildings in seven Regions, namely; New Delhi Region, Delhi Region, PWD Region, North Region, South Region, East Region and West Region. Besides being the construction agency of the Government, it performs a regulatory function in setting the pace and programs for the building industry in the country. As per this MoU, BEE and CPWD together would support promotion of Energy Efficiency in Buildings by labelling all such buildings and; registration fee and renewal fee will be waived for CPWD buildings.

2. Areas of Cooperation:

The following areas of cooperation have been identified by CPWD and BEE:

• Star rating of Commercial CPWD managed buildings with no registration or renewal fee
• Awareness on Energy Efficiency in commercial buildings.
• Support for ECBC (Commercial & Residential and capacity building of CPWD officials.
• Construction of ECBC compliant new buildings.
• Any other area with mutual consent in the area of building energy efficiency.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

Role of BEE::

1. Processing of application for star rating of buildings
2. Preliminary scrutiny of application
3. Data verification of CPWD maintained buildings
4. Installation of smart meters.
5. Award of certificate & Label.
6. Support for Energy Efficiency in Buildings
7. Support for construction of ECBC compliant buildings
8. Efficient coordination with CPWD.
9. Capacity building of CPWD officials

Role of CPWD:

1. Completely filled application for star rating
2. Support and facilitation to data verification and monitoring.
3. Construction of ECBC Compliant buildings
4. Support for Energy Efficiency in Buildings
5. Efficient coordination with BEE

In the first stage approx. 150 buildings will be taken under star rating scheme and to promote energy efficiency in CPWD managed buildings. It is anticipated that this initiative will result in energy saving of more than 260 million units in the first stage with operational savings of about Rs 100 crore.

14-Dec-2018: ECO Niwas Samhita 2018 - an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings launched

Giving a further fillip to India’s energy conservation efforts, Ministry of Power has launched the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018, an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R). The Code was launched on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day 2018.

The implementation of this Code will give a fillip to energy efficiency in residential sector. It aims to benefit the occupants and the environment by promoting energy efficiency in design and construction of homes, apartments and townships. This Code has been prepared after extensive consultations with all stakeholders, consisting of architects & experts including building material suppliers and developers. The parameters listed in the Code have been developed based on large number of parameters using climate and energy related data. Initially, Part-I of the Code has been launched which prescribes minimum standards for building envelope designs with the purpose of designing energy efficient residential buildings. The Code is expected to assist large number of architects and builders who are involved in design and construction of new residential complexes in different parts of the country. Implementation of this Code will have potential for energy savings to the tune of 125 Billion Units of electricity per year by 2030, which is equivalent to about 100 million ton of Co2 emission.

ECBC for commercial buildings was already in place and revised and updated version of ECBC for commercial buildings was launched in June 2017. It is estimated that energy demand in the building sector will rise from around 350 billion units in 2018 to approximately 1000 billion units by year 2030.

While launching this ECBC-R, Shri R. K. Singh stated that building sector will have highest growth in energy demand in coming 10-15 years. Government is encouraging all building professionals including architects, builders to generate awareness towards energy conservation while constructing new residential homes.

National Energy Conservation Awards:

National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated every year on 14th December by Ministry of Power in association with Bureau of Energy Efficiency. In order to recognise the efforts of industry and other establishments towards promoting energy efficiency, on this Day, Ministry of Power organizes National Energy Conservation Awards event every year. On this occasion 26 industrial units from various sectors were given awards for their excellent performance in energy efficiency. Altogether 333 units and establishments across the country participated in this year’s National Awards Programme and a total saving of 3917 Million units have been reported which is worth Rs.2000 crores.

Further, in order to raise the awareness about energy efficiency and energy conservation, the Ministry of Power also organises National Painting Competition. The prize distribution for the winners of this competition is also organised on this Day.  This year, awards for winners for the National Painting Competition have been given to 19 school children. In this Painting Competition approximately 90 lakhs school children from class IV to IX participated from all the States. The final competition was held in Delhi on 12th December 2018.

On this occasion, the Chief Guest Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Lok Sabha Speaker stated that sustainable development and resource conservation are practiced by India for many thousand years. Conservation of energy and use of clean energy resources are the priority area for Government as well as the people of our country.

On the sidelines of NECA function, an exhibition depicting India’s journey on the path of energy efficiency and energy conservation, highlighting various initiatives and their current progress towards contribution to country’s energy security, was also organised.

About BEE: BEE is a statutory body under Ministry of Power which is mandated to implement policy and programmes in the area of energy efficiency and conservation. The objective of such initiatives is to reduce energy intensity in our country by optimizing energy demand and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) which are responsible for global warming and climate change. India has committed to reduction of 33-35% GHG emission by 2030 as part of the document submitted to UNFCCC.

14-Sep-2018: Power Ministry launches ambitious program on energy efficiency in Chillers

Ministry of Power, Government of India launched an ambitious program to encourage the deployment of Energy Efficient chiller systems in the country. The Chiller Star Labelling Program has been formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The program envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the program is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid upto 31st December 2020.

Launching, this key program, Shri A.K. Bhalla, Secretary, Power, emphasised the need to improve energy efficiency in space and process cooling sector, considering the occasion of 24th World Ozone Day and the 31st Anniversary of Montreal Protocol, which will be observed on 16th September 2018. This initiative will promote advancement technology for central HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and will also facilitate energy efficient solutions for the large commercial and industrial applications.

Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of buildings and for industrial process cooling applications. The size of Indian chiller market which stood at 1 Million Tonne per year at 2017, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent fuelled by a growth in the retail, hospitality and infrastructure projects. Chillers, being energy intensive system, contribute more than 40 per cent of the total energy consumption in commercial buildings. Therefore, it is important to optimize energy performance of chillers and create awareness amongst the end users to adopt transition towards energy efficient chillers.

BEE has developed an online registration platform for easy and expeditious approval under this initiative. The manufacturers will be able to register online for availing appropriate star rating of chiller equipment. Based on the test certificate from designated agencies and after due verification from BEE, the star label (1 to 5) will be awarded, with 5 star being the most efficient chillers.

Through Chiller star labelling Program, it is estimated that more than 500 million units of electricity would be saved in 2019 along with Green House Gases (GHG) reduction of 0.5 million-ton equivalent of CO2. It is also anticipated to save more than 4 Billion units of electricity in the year 2030 with CO2 emission reduction of 3.5 million ton through this program.