Energy in BuildingsThis new GBPN report jointly developed with the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, provides a first attempt to document energy saving potentials that could be achieved in India by 2050 in the residential sector. Four energy scenarios have been developed to identify the potential energy savings, each relating to a level of ambition of building performance policies and market efforts. With direct policy action, it is possible to substantially reduce future energy demand in the residential sector and help India address current challenges posed by the population growth, higher comfort expectations and the increased use of appliances.
In the context of the publication of the ‘Energy-Efficient Design Guidelines for Multi-Storey Residential Buildings’ by the Indian Government on 2 September 2014, this new study provides decision makers with recommendations about future actions to achieve deep energy savings from the residential building sector while generating a wide range of positive economic, environmental and social opportunities.
The report investigates four possible residential electricity consumption projections up to 2050 compared to today’s levels: business-as-usual, moderate, aggressive and very aggressive. The study specifically focuses on assessing the role of the building envelopes in relation to comfort air conditioning systems and appliances in order to ensure energy efficient dwellings for urban and rural residential sectors. Under the business-as-usual scenario, electricity consumption could rise by more than eight times by 2050 compared to 2012 levels. However, using focused policy and market efforts, the moderate, aggressive, and very aggressive strategies can respectively limit the consumption increases to five times, four times and three times the current energy use, which would represent relative energy savings of 27%, 44%, and 57% compared to business-as-usual