AC industry responsible for 60% of operational carbon emissions: IGBC
Signs MoU with ASHRAE to empower architects, mechanical, electrical engineers, professionals and students in implementing energy efficient building practices
image for illustrative purpose
Hyderabad: The construction sector is responsible for about 40 per cent of the global energy related carbon emissions, of which 28 per cent comes from operational emissions, from energy needed to heat, cool and power them, in this 28 per cent, air conditioning is responsible for 60 per cent of carbon emission, said Gurmit Singh Arora, National Chairman of CII – IGBC.
Speaking at an event held in the city on Tuesday, Arora said, “Buildings being an asset class is responsible for nearly 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, of which 11 per cent comes from the material used in building construction, and 28 per cent comes from operational emissions. Out of this 28 per cent, 60 per cent is from air conditioning industry. IGBC is working towards bringing down the four parameters which also includes carbon emission.”
Arora further informed that IGBC has set a target of achieving 50 billion sft of green building footprint by 2047, across the country. To facilitate this, the Council has a mammoth task of certifying two billion sft every year and three projects per day. Currently the total certified green building footprint stands at 11.03 billion sft.
The Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) on Tuesday entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), an American professional association. Gurmit Singh Arora and president of Ashrae Ginger Scoggins signed and exchanged the MoU in the presence of Ashish Raheja, vice president, Ashrae and Shekar Reddy, Chairman, CII Telangana. The collaboration will work towards enabling green and net zero building practices and built environment, while the focus areas include energy efficiency, eco-friendly refrigerants, Indoor Environment Quality, thermal comfort, and commissioning.
Commenting on the partnership, Arora said, ‘It is exciting to sign this MoU. As construction sector is liable for major share in carbon emissions we have to align with Ashrae and work together with the design community, council of architecture, Institute of interior designers, and other related associations like Credai and Naredco in achieving net zero buildings.’ The joint initiatives include chapter collaborations, advocacy, publications, education programmes, technical activities coordination, research, and student activities.
Elaborating on the initiatives that will be undertaken, M Anand, Deputy Executive Director, IGBC, said that with Ashrae’s technical eLearning module in-hand, IGBC will hold sessions for architects, mechanical, plumbing, electrical engineers, contractors involved in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, across its 29 Chapters. The partnership will also leverage global case studies and work on joint case studies.
“IGBC has 370 student Chapters in leading engineering colleges across India. We are going to empower civil, electrical, mechanical engineering and architect students on how they can design using codes of IGBC and ASHRAE in developing energy efficient, environment-friendly buildings,” Anand added.
