Energy-efficient designs: New set of building regulations launched

Provisions are applicable to buildings that have a connected load of at least 100 kilowatts.

ISLAMABAD:

A new set of regulations that will require new buildings to follow energy-efficient design and construction were launched here on Wednesday.

The requirements for energy efficiency or “Energy Provisions 2011” as they are officially called, were launched as part of the building code of Pakistan at a ceremony organised by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) in collaboration with the National Energy Conservation Centre (Enercon) and the Housing Ministry.

It is the first time in almost three decades that the existing energy provisions in the building code have been updated in light of international best practices and latest industry standards.

Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid said that it was essential that better systems were designed in Pakistan to reduce power consumption and improve efficiency in the use of existing energy resources.

The scope of the new provisions, which provide a minimum requirement on energy efficiency, has already been implemented through a Statutory Regulatory Order notified in March 2013.



The provisions are applicable to buildings that have a total connected load of at least 100 kilowatts or a contract demand of at least 125 kilovolts-ampere. Moreover, only buildings with a conditioned area of at least 900 square metres or unconditioned buildings with at least 1,200 square metres covered area have to follow the energy efficiency requirements.

For the time being, the provisions only apply to new buildings and their systems, new portions of existing buildings if they meet the area and load requirements, new systems and new equipment of existing buildings, and buildings where there is an increase in the electricity load beyond the limits prescribed in the provisions.

The requirements cover areas such as building envelope, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, service water heating, lighting and electrical power. Representatives of the PEC, Enercon and the ministry of housing and works hailed the provisions as the first step towards a framework for energy efficiency.

PEC Additional Registrar Dr Ashfaq Ahmed Sheikh, who is also a member of the 23-member task force which wrote the energy provisions, said the SRO implies mandatory implementation of the energy provisions.

Sheikh said that the PEC will now work with local building control authorities to get them to adopt the energy provisions in their respective building by-laws. Another avenue of future work will be to ensure the availability of energy-efficient construction materials in the market, he said.

Engineer Farhan Mehboob, another member of the task force, said the energy provisions were not limited to the federal capital. But, he said that the time it takes for provincial and district-level building departments to follow the provisions will depend on the documentation, training and capacity at those levels.

Responding to technical questions from the audience, Mehboob said that the task force wanted to keep the energy provisions simple so more people could follow them in the first phase.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.