‘Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings’ Initiative

• 06 Jun 2020

Why in News

The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE program, launched the “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” initiative that will pioneer ways to make workplaces healthier and greener.

Key Points

• The initiative was launched on the occasion of the World Environment day (5^th June).
• This initiative is to address the challenges of retrofitting existing buildings and air conditioning systems so that they are both healthy and energy efficient.
• The initiative, implemented by the EESL in its office, will pave the way for other buildings to take appropriate steps to be healthy and energy efficient.
  
  • This will help in developing specifications for future use in other buildings throughout the country, as well as aid in evaluating the effectiveness and cost benefits of various technologies and their short and long-term impacts on air quality, comfort, and energy use.
• Need:
  
  • Poor air quality has been a concern in India for quite some time and has become more important in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
    
    • As people return to their offices and public spaces, maintaining good indoor air quality is essential for occupant comfort, well-being, productivity and the overall public health.
  • Most buildings in India are not equipped to establish and maintain healthy indoor air quality and need to be upgraded. Such retrofit measures, like increasing outside air and additional filtration in the air conditioning system, typically come at the cost of occupant comfort and increased energy use.
  • Further, there are no standardized approaches to retrofitting.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited

• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is under the administration of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• It is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country.
• It aims to create market access for efficient and future-ready transformative solutions that create a win-win situation for every stakeholder.
• It helps in implementing programmes such as UnnatJyoti by Affordable LED for All (UJALA), Smart Meters, etc.

U.S. Agency for International Development

• USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results.
• The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE), is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and USAID and is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling.

Source:PIB