Mainstreaming Building Energy Efficiency Codes in Developing Countries
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One of the major impediments to achieving compliance with the ECBC is a construction sector that has a general lack of a skilled workforce and requires overall improvements in the quality of construction materials and the development and local production of materials and equipment that can comply with the requirements of the ECBC. For example, high-performance glazing materials are available, but at incremental costs of about 50 percent.29 Furthermore, materials are not certified since testing labs do not yet exist. USAID is supporting the establishment of a regional energy efficiency center (Centre for Environmental Planning & Technology, CEPT University) in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) that is expected to become the first building envelope performance laboratory, especially for glazing materials. The Swiss government is supporting the development of a certification program for insulation materials. Workforce training in the construction sector is currently taking place through initiatives undertaken by Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC). It includes training, testing, and certification programs for construction workers as well as Management Development Programs for supervisors, managers, and senior officers.30 Building energy efficiency aspects emerging during the construction cycle could be included in such programs as well as in the courses of institutions like the School of Planning & Architecture, CEPT University, and the National Institute of Design. The most challenging aspect of implementing the ECBC is the compliance at the local level. This will require a huge effort in familiarizing not only the local construction industry with ECBC requirements, but also training local government officials in building departments in reviewing the energy efficiency aspects of building plans and inspecting construction sites and checking compliance with ECBC requirements. Alternatively, independent certified energy professionals could check and certify the compliance with the ECBC; they would, however, also have to be trained and pass certification exams that include ECBC relevant materials. The financing necessary to staff local government building departments and provide them or third-party agents with the necessary training has not yet been identified. Public benefit funds and/or DSM measures in other countries have been able to provide some funding for code education and capacity building and could be considered in India also. BEEC implementation in other countries has shown that it is best to start actual code implementation on a pilot basis in those regions that have a relatively good track record in enforcement of building codes and where the local government is committed to a green/environmental/climate change agenda. Large-scale pilot projects could achieve a high visibility for energy-efficient buildings, provide the market with good estimates of the costs and benefits of energy-efficiency measures in new buildings, and test the use of compliance and enforcement procedures and requirements of the ECBC in different localities.