GHMC: 35 auditors empanelled as assessors for Energy Conservation Building Code

HYDERABAD: With the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation making Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) mandatory for commercial and non-residential buildings from Tuesday, the corporation has empanelled as many as 35 energy auditors as third party assessors for ECBC building approval.

Without ECBC compliance, no building  permission will be given by GHMC. The code is applicable to commercial and other non-residential buildings that have a plot area of more than 1,000 sq.mts or a built-up area of more than 2,000 sq.mts. The code is also mandatory for multiplexes, hospitals, hotels and convention centres even if their built-up area is less than or equal to 2,000 square metres but does not apply to factories, individual homes and multi-family residential buildings.

The objective of ECBC is to establish minimum requirements for energy-efficient design and construction of buildings. It is applicable to newly-constructed commercial and non-residential buildings of a certain size or specific use. The TSECBC is based on the national ECBC.

With ever-growing energy demand, limited energy supply, rapid urbanisation and increasing pollution levels, as energy efficiency is an immediate solution, Greater Hyderabad critically needs energy solutions for which GHMC decided to implement ECBC. The GHMC boasts of the country’s first online system to ensure energy savings in buildings. The ECBC will be the first compliance system in the country to go online.