The Government of Chandigarh has issued Draft Chandigarh Energy Conservation Building Code, 2023 on 16 June, 2023. These guidelines shall apply to every building, which is used or intended to be used for commercial purposes, having a connected load of 50 kilowatt (kW) or above or a contract demand of 60 kilo-Volt Ampere (kVA) or above or the plot area of Building is equal to or more than 1000 sq m or the built-up area of building is equal to or more than 2000 square meter (excluding non-conditioned spaces in basement).

These rules will not be enforced on equipment, appliances, devices, and parts of buildings that primarily consume energy for manufacturing processes. Suggestions, comments, and feedback from stakeholders and the general public of the UT Chandigarh shall be sent within 30 days from the date of publication of the draft to [email protected].

The code prescribes the following three levels of energy efficiency:

Energy Conservation Building Code Compliant Building (ECBC Building): ECBC Buildings shall demonstrate compliance by adopting the mandatory and Prescriptive Requirements Listed under ECBC Compliant Building requirements in §4 to §7, or by following the provisions of the Whole Building Performance (WBP) Method in §9.

Energy Conservation Building Code Plus Building (ECBC + Building): ECBC+ Buildings shall demonstrate compliance by adopting the mandatory and prescriptive requirements listed under ECBC+ Compliant Building requirements in§4 to §7, or by following the provisions of the Whole Building Performance (WBP) Method in §9.

Super Energy Conservation Building Code Building (SuperECBC Building): Super ECBC Buildings shall demonstrate compliance by adopting the mandatory and prescriptive requirements listed under SuperECBC Compliant Building requirements in §4 to §7, or by following the provisions of the Whole Building Performance (WBP) Method in §9.

Building Systems

The provisions of this code apply to:
a) Building envelope,
b) Mechanical systems and equipment, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, service hot water heating,
c) Interior and exterior lighting, and
d) Electrical power and motors, and renewable energy systems.

The provisions of this code do not apply to plug loads, and equipment and parts of buildings that use energy for manufacturing processes, unless otherwise specified in the Code.

Building Classification

Any one or more building or part of a building with commercial use is classified as per the functional requirements of its design, construction, and use. The key classification is as below:

Hospitality: Any building in which sleeping accommodation is provided for commercial purposes, except any building classified under Health Care. Buildings and structures under Hospitality shall include the following:

1. No-star Hotels-like Lodging-houses, dormitories, no-star hotels/motels
2. Resort
3. Star Hotel

Health Care: Any building or part thereof, which is used for purposes such as medical or other treatment or care of persons suffering from physical or mental illness, disease, or infirmity; care of infants, convalescents, or aged persons, and for penal or correctional detention in which the liberty of the inmates is restricted. Health Care buildings ordinarily provide sleeping accommodation for the occupants. Buildings and structures like hospitals, sanatoria, out-patient healthcare, laboratories, research establishments, and test houses are included under this type.

Assembly: Any building or part of a building, where number of persons congregate or gather for amusement, recreation, social, religious, patriotic, civil, travel and similar purposes. Buildings like theatres or motion picture halls, gathering halls, and transport buildings like airports, railway stations, bus stations, and underground and elevated mass rapid transit system are included in this group.

Business: Any building or part thereof which is used for transaction of business, for keeping of accounts and records and similar purposes, professional establishments, and service facilities. There are two subcategories under Business – Daytime Business and 24-hour Business. Unless otherwise mentioned, Business buildings shall include both Daytime and 24-hour subcategories.

Educational: Any building used for schools, colleges, universities, and other training institutions for day-care purposes involving assembly for instruction, education, or recreation for students. If residential accommodation is provided in the schools, colleges, or universities or coaching/ training institution, that portion of occupancy shall be classified as a No-star Hotel. Buildings and structures under Educational shall include following types-

1. Schools
2. All other types of institutes, e.g. – college, university, training institutes etc.
3. Shopping Complex: Any building or part thereof, which is used as shops, stores, market, for display and sale of merchandise, either wholesale or retail. Buildings like shopping malls, stand- alone retails, open gallery malls, super markets, or hyper markets are included in this type.

Mixed-use Building: In a mixed-use building, each commercial part of a building must be classified separately, and

1. If a part of the mixed-use building has different classification and is less than 10% of the total above grade floor area, the mixed-use building shall show compliance based on the building sub-classification having higher percentage of above grade floor area.
2. If a part of the mixed-use building has different classification and one or more sub- classification is more than 10% of the total above grade floor area, the compliance requirements for each sub-classification, having area more than 10% of above grade floor area of a mixed-use building shall be determined by the requirements for the respective building classification in §4 to §7.

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