Powersavers at rly office bag 5 stars
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010072720100727030302621f3b64f06)
The Ahmedabad Divisional Railway office in Amdupura has bagged the honour of being the “best energy efficient” building in a hot and dry region. The building got a five star rating on a 1-5 scale for being the most efficient by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power.
The DRM office building, spanning 13,377 sq m, consumed just 10,42,923 units this year — 20 per cent less than consumption recorded the previous year. The commercial load was 704 KW on the building which has 55 per cent air-conditioning.
The programme to rate buildings was started by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in 2009 to create a demand for “energy-efficient public buildings in terms of specific energy usage and the rating was done on a scale of 1-5 with five star being the best”.
Lighting the way
Senior Dee P B Gadre said, “We replaced all incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). Sensors were provided in chambers to switch off lights when the officials left. Corridor and streetlights were connected through timer to ensure they were switched off when natural light was available. We also implemented lights-out whenever platforms were empty.”
Sources said, “We have over 1,000 employees without whose co-operation this award would not have been possible. We had installed meters inside every department. We carried out daily analysis of the readings and evaluated ways of bettering the performance.” The DRM building office logo was lit using LEDs.
energy is consumed most by air-conditioners and water pumps. We have been implementing energy-saving techniques throughout the division. We also installed a solar-run air-conditioning system.
Divisional Railway Manager A S Garud said, “The building was constructed three and a half years ago. Since then, we have been trying out various methods to save energy.”
In April, the Ahmedabad railway division had bagged the top award for saving more than 25 per cent energy consumption. The division used prudent measures to cut costs by disconnection of non-essential loads on platforms where there were no trains. Using solar-based geysers and two-tonne air conditioners, it saved on energy consumption.
The ministry has also given the authorities a subsidy of Rs 56,000 for installing solar water heaters in running rooms.
What is BEE Star Label?
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power in 2009 started a scheme to rate office buildings based on specific energy usage. The scheme rates office building on 1-5 star scale. The most efficient building gets 5 stars. Five categories of buildings — office buildings, hotels, hospitals, malls and IT parks — were divided according to three climatic zones: warm and humid, composite, and hot and dry. It also took into consideration whether the buildings were air-conditioned or non air-conditioned.
Posted On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010072720100727030302621f3b64f06)
The Ahmedabad Divisional Railway office in Amdupura has bagged the honour of being the “best energy efficient” building in a hot and dry region. The building got a five star rating on a 1-5 scale for being the most efficient by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power.
The DRM office building, spanning 13,377 sq m, consumed just 10,42,923 units this year — 20 per cent less than consumption recorded the previous year. The commercial load was 704 KW on the building which has 55 per cent air-conditioning.
The programme to rate buildings was started by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in 2009 to create a demand for “energy-efficient public buildings in terms of specific energy usage and the rating was done on a scale of 1-5 with five star being the best”.
Lighting the way
Senior Dee P B Gadre said, “We replaced all incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). Sensors were provided in chambers to switch off lights when the officials left. Corridor and streetlights were connected through timer to ensure they were switched off when natural light was available. We also implemented lights-out whenever platforms were empty.”
Sources said, “We have over 1,000 employees without whose co-operation this award would not have been possible. We had installed meters inside every department. We carried out daily analysis of the readings and evaluated ways of bettering the performance.” The DRM building office logo was lit using LEDs.
energy is consumed most by air-conditioners and water pumps. We have been implementing energy-saving techniques throughout the division. We also installed a solar-run air-conditioning system.
Divisional Railway Manager A S Garud said, “The building was constructed three and a half years ago. Since then, we have been trying out various methods to save energy.”
In April, the Ahmedabad railway division had bagged the top award for saving more than 25 per cent energy consumption. The division used prudent measures to cut costs by disconnection of non-essential loads on platforms where there were no trains. Using solar-based geysers and two-tonne air conditioners, it saved on energy consumption.
The ministry has also given the authorities a subsidy of Rs 56,000 for installing solar water heaters in running rooms.
What is BEE Star Label?
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power in 2009 started a scheme to rate office buildings based on specific energy usage. The scheme rates office building on 1-5 star scale. The most efficient building gets 5 stars. Five categories of buildings — office buildings, hotels, hospitals, malls and IT parks — were divided according to three climatic zones: warm and humid, composite, and hot and dry. It also took into consideration whether the buildings were air-conditioned or non air-conditioned.
