High-Performance Buildings (HPBs)

• 10 Oct 2024

For Prelims: High-Performance Buildings, HVAC System, Daylight Harvesting, Green Walls, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Carbon Emissions, UNEP’s 30% Efficiency Improvement Goal, Unnati Building, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan.

For Mains: Need for high-performance buildings in India in light of rising urbanisation and carbon emissions.

Source: TH

Why in News?

In recent years, the importance of high-performance buildings (HPBs) have increased that promote energy efficiency and healthier indoor environments. 

• HPBs means a building that integrates and optimises all major high-performance building attributes, including energy efficiency, durability, life-cycle performance, and occupant productivity. 

What are the Key Features of HPBs? 

• Energy Efficiency: 
  • Maintain HVAC Systems (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning): Regular maintenance, such as replacing filters, cleaning coils, and calibrating sensors, can help maintain their efficiency and reduce unnecessary energy consumption. 
  • Demand-Controlled Ventilation: IoT-based air quality sensors can automatically adjust ventilation systems making buildings more efficient and responsive to environmental conditions. 
  • Lighting Systems: Energy-efficient LED options can reduce energy consumption. Daylight harvesting, which makes use of natural light, can further lower the need for artificial lighting. 
  • Invest in Insulation: Adequate insulation for walls, roofs, and floors can reduce the need for heating and cooling by minimising heat transfer. 
• Healthy Indoor Environment: 
  • Prioritise Indoor Air Quality: It uses indoor air filtration systems to reduce pollutants. 
  • Sound and Acoustics: Sound-absorbing materials and effective partitioning can help reduce noise pollution in buildings.  
  • Biophilic Design: Incorporating natural elements, such as green walls, indoor plants, and water features enhance the mental well-being of occupants. 
• Sustainability and Environmental Impact: 
  • Sustainable Materials: Recycled steel, sustainably-sourced timber, and low-impact concrete is key to reducing the environmental impact of buildings.  
  • Water Conservation and Efficiency: Rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling systems enhance water conservation. 
  • Waste Reduction and Management: Reducing, recycling, and properly managing waste are essential for sustainable building operations.  

What is the Need of High-Performance Buildings? 

• Carbon Emissions: Globally, buildings account for nearly 40% of total final energy consumption over their lifespan.  
  • It leads to approximately 28% of energy-related carbon emissions.  
  • According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, in India, buildings account for more than 30% of the national energy use and 20% of its carbon emissions. 
• Quadrupling Power System by 2040: India’s power system will need to quadruple in size by 2040 to meet growing electricity demand. 
  • Also, Indian buildings are experiencing a surge in energy use due to higher urban temperatures, glazed facades, and higher occupant density. 
  • HPBs can significantly reduce energy demands through innovative solutions. 
• Rising Urbanisation: India’s urban population is expected to reach 600 million by 2030. 
  • As cities expand, the demand for new construction rises, and without intervention, the sector's carbon footprint is set to grow significantly. 
• Achieving Global Goals: With increasing energy demand and a booming construction sector, India risks exceeding global energy efficiency and carbon emission standards for buildings set by the International Energy Agency, building certification programs, and the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. 
  • UNEP’s 30% efficiency improvement goal emphasises that the global building sector must improve its energy efficiency by 30% by 2030 to meet climate targets. 
• Lower Operating Costs: HPBs optimisations can result in 23% lower energy use, 28% lower water use, and 23% lower building operating expenses. 
• Improved Productivity: Providing a healthy indoor environment has been linked to higher occupant satisfaction, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism due to illness.   

What are the Tools Associated With HPBs? 

• Ladybug: It offers detailed climate analysis and data in 2D and 3D interactive graphics to assess design options through view, sunpath, and radiation analysis. 
• Green Building Studio: It is a cloud-based service that can run building performance simulations for energy optimisation. 
• Cove.Tools: It allows architects and engineers to use data-driven design to achieve sustainable design solutions. 
• ClimateStudio: It works best for simulations for daylighting, energy efficiency, thermal comfort and other measures of occupant wellbeing.  

Notable Examples of HPBs in India 

• Unnati Building in Greater Noida: This HPB features a façade designed according to the Sun’s path to improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency. The building uses high-performance glass with a low solar heat gain coefficient to reduce glare and enhance energy performance. 
• Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi: This building employs an advanced HVAC system that circulates chilled water through beams in the ceiling, utilising natural convection to reduce energy consumption. 
• Net-Zero and Grid-Interactive Buildings: HPBs in India are also paving the way for net-zero buildings, which generate as much energy and water as they consume, and grid-interactive buildings that manage energy demand dynamically. 

What are the Challenges in Delivering High-Performance Buildings? 

• Operational Overlook: Developers typically prioritise initial project costs, schedules, and design scope, overlooking the operational phase and long-term energy, waste management, and maintenance. 
• Diverse Building Typologies: Office buildings vary greatly in terms of types, costs, services, and comfort levels.  
  • Some buildings have decentralised cooling systems that are energy inefficient while some buildings are centrally air-conditioned, have high glazing, and come with higher energy consumption. 
• Split Incentives: Energy savings projects often receive little support due to differences in who benefits from energy efficiency improvements. Eg, Maintenance by owners or tenants. 
• Erosion of Indigenous Knowledge: Region-specific methods that are cost-effective and well-suited to local conditions are being lost due to overreliance on foreign technologies that may not be as efficient in the Indian context. 
• Siloed Building Systems: Building design, construction, and operation are often treated in isolation. This fragmented approach prevents the integration of technologies that can improve overall building performance. 

What are India’s Initiatives Regarding the Energy Efficiency in Buildings? 

• Eco-Niwas Samhita 
• Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 
• Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022 
• NEERMAN Awards 
• Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) 

How High-Performance Buildings Can be Promoted in India? 

• Envelope and Passive Systems: Envelope strategies like wall, windows, roof assemblies, reflective white surfaces and shading can avoid exposures to solar heat gain and glare, and support natural ventilation where possible. 
• Integrated Approach: A lifecycle performance assurance process that emphasises the integration of building systems should replace conventional and siloed methodologies. 
• Holistic Evaluation: Adopt a triple-bottom-line framework that evaluates building technologies and systems based on operational, environmental, and human benefits.  
  • This framework should consider energy savings, reduced carbon footprint, and improved occupant health and productivity. 
• Collaborative Energy Efficiency Initiatives: Encourage collaborative initiatives between owners and tenants that align their interests in energy efficiency upgrades, creating a shared commitment to sustainability goals. 
• Tailored Strategies: Advocate for region-specific, climate-responsive solutions such as high-performance envelope design, low-energy cooling strategies, and adaptive comfort techniques. 
• Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC): Separate the spaces that could be naturally ventilated and develop mixed-mode opportunities, rather than fully air conditioning all built spaces at all times.

Drishti Mains Question:

Critically analyse the need for high-performance buildings in India, considering the challenges posed by rising urbanisation and carbon emissions.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Mains: 

Q. “Investment in infrastructure is essential for more rapid and inclusive economic growth.” Discuss in the light of India’s experience. (2021)