Energy Efficient Building collaboration between India and Switzerland

According to reports, India and Switzerland are going to co-operate in the domain of energy efficient buildings in the country. The Swiss will share their expertise in the designing of such green buildings.

A five year MOU has been signed by the two countries.

“After extensive consultations and pilot projects, our two governments have signed a five-year MoU to facilitate the adoption of Swiss expertise to the Indian context,” Swiss Ambassador Linus Von Castelmur said today.¹ The project will be implemented in partnership with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

An energy efficient building in one that replaces traditional sources of energy by renewable energy resources, and is provided with energy saving appliances, allows for the conservation of energy and water; it follows the best practices and results in energy savings.

The concept of green buildings is increasing in many cities and towns across the world. Recently, Delhi expressed its desire to increase the number of green buildings in the city.

Green buildings refer to environmentally sustainable buildings which do not contribute to or increase pollution while maximising on sustainable practices. There are three primary green building rating systems in India at present namely, GRIHA, IGBC and BEE. ²

IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) has also launched an IGBC Green Existing Building O&M Rating in April 2013.³ By applying IGBC Green Existing Building O&M criteria, existing buildings can also be sustainable over the life cycle of the building.

Reference and further Reading-

1 ET

2 GCG’s article entitled –Three primary rating systems for green buildings in India

3 GCG’s article entitled – IGBC green existing buildings rating system