Zero-energy Buildings: a sneak peek into India's first zero-energy building
Chilled beam air conditioning: Air conditioning by convection currents rather than air supply through ducts; chilled water circulated right up to diffuser; more than 50 per cent saving in energy consumption on air conditioning.
Water conservation: Recycling of waste water through sewage treatment plant; sensor urinals and dual fl ow cisterns; rain water harvesting.
Futuristic parking: Fully automated robotic car parking for 330 cars; single car retrieval time: 3 minutes. Cost of development: Rs 17 crore.
Government buildings are supposed to be dull and uninspiring, have high energy requirements and are, consequently, polluting. But Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, the building in New Delhi that houses the office of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, is different. Built at a cost of Rs 209 crore, it is India's first building certified by GRIHA for Exemplary Demonstration of Renewable Technology. It is also hailed as India's first zero-energy building. What's that? A zero-energy building harvests energy on site to meet its energy demand. In other words, a building whose annual energy consumption is equal to the renewable energy it generates on site. It also uses much less energy than conventional buildings. Typically, technologies such as solar cells, wind turbines, solar thermal collectors connected to thermal storage equipment are used to harvest energy.