Hyderabad: Telangana stood fourth among the States in the country in conserving energy. It also stood in the “contender” category along with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab as per the State Energy efficiency report 2019, published by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Telangana achieved the recognition in energy efficiency in the sectors of Buildings, Industries, Municipalities, Transportation , Agriculture, Discoms, and cross sectors. Telangana stood 1st in energy efficiency in Municipalities, 2nd in cross sectors, achieved 3rd position in domestic sector and transportation, 4th in industries, and seventh in Agriculture. Telangana was recognized, especially for its streetlighting programme and audit.
According to the report, the Telangana government is the frontrunner as permissions for all new commercial buildings were given only through online Development Permission Management System (DPMS) where ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) is a mandatory document certified by a Third Party Administrator (TPA). None of the States has made any efforts on benchmarking energy intensity of commercial buildings like Telangana, though Kerala has conducted a base lining study. Telangana and very few other States, including Delhi, has a comparatively higher penetration of green buildings per connected electricity consumer.
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Minister releases report
The report, which was released by Union Energy Minister RK Singh in New Delhi, is based on data collected by Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) from State Designated Agencies (SDA), and from data available in State and Central government reports. States were categorized as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’and ‘Aspirant’ based on their efforts and achievements towards energy efficiency implementation. The top performing States were Haryana, Kerala and Karnataka, which were kept under the ‘Achiever’ category. “Since there is no ‘Front runner’ State, it can be inferred that a lot more can be done at the State level to realize energy savings from energy efficiency,” the report said.
Audits mandatory in TS
The State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 assessed 36 States and Union Territories across 97 indicators. Regarding Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017, six States have amended the code to suit regional and local conditions and have notified the code in the State’s official gazette. Four States have incorporated ECBC 2017 in municipal building bye-laws, including Telangana. The State has incorporated energy efficiency norms in public procurement guidelines for lighting and appliances and made energy audits mandatory for commercial building consumers.
In the industrial sector, 35 industrial units across 13 States reduced their energy intensity through the adoption of EE measures, based on data gleaned from energy conservation awards. On a positive note, 11 States have installed centralized control and monitoring systems for streetlighting in some municipalities within the State. In the transport sector, six States have released Electric Vehicle (EV).
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The report called for States to demonstrate an approach of enforcement and compliance checks. Rules related to mandatory energy audits, mandatory sale and purchase of BEE star labelled appliances will not be effective unless the inspection process is established and strengthened. States must also make independent monitoring and verification of savings integral to all EE policies and programmes.