August 26, 2009
School of Engineering, Coimbatore
 
SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) is a not-for profit NGO working in the areas of energy efficiency and conservation. The Society plans to conduct workshops in sixteen Indian states on the topic — Energy Efficiency, Codes and Ratings in Buildings — during July to November 2009. Amrita hosted one of the first workshops in this series at Coimbatore on July 30-31.
 
“Over 60 delegates attended,” stated Dr. K. K. Sasi of Amrita, who is also the Treasurer of the Tamil Nadu SEEM Chapter. “Architects and construction engineers participated, in addition to teachers and students of architecture and engineering. Engineers and planners from state government organizations were also present. Feedback from all participants was really encouraging and this initiative of SEEM was well appreciated by all.”
 
Headquartered in Kerala, SEEM has state chapters in Punjab, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu. This professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India publishes two popular magazines — Energy Manager, a quarterly print magazine and Energy Snippets, a monthly e-magazine. Through these publications and workshops, SEEM intends to apprise energy professionals in India about the latest developments in the areas of energy efficiency.
 
In this workshop organized jointly with Amrita, a number of experts were invited to deliver talks on various aspects of Energy Efficient and Green Buildings. Mr Ramani Shankar, a leading architect in Coimbatore delivered the thematic address during the inaugural ceremony. He emphasized that appropriate designs are needed for construction and urged government agencies not to dilute regulations. During the keynote address, Mr. P Balasubrahmaniam, Senior Electrical Inspector, Coimbatore elaborated further on the requirements for energy conservation.
 
Other topics covered included an overview of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC). The ECBC, released in 2007, specifies the energy performance requirements for all commercial buildings that are to be constructed in India. The workshop discussed lighting design and lamp selection, envelope orientation, and design of HVAC systems, all in the context of ECBC.
Case studies of energy audit in buildings were presented. Experts from the fields of Building Envelope, Lighting and Air-conditioning also spoke.
 
A major outcome of the workshop was the formation of the State-level ECBC Resource Committee. Participant groups discussed specific topics of interest and their deliberations and observations were consolidated as recommendations of this Committee. The Committee recommended mandatory implementation of ECBC, instead of treating it optional.
 
The Resource Committee will interact and support the Tamil Nadu Electrical Inspectorate and suggest local amendments to ECBC as per EC Act 2001. Tamil Nadu Electrical Inspectorate is the state nodal agency of Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
 
Mr. M. T. Sambandam, Chairman of the SEEM Chapter in Tamil Nadu expressed his appreciation for Amrita’s role, post the workshop. “We gratefully thank you for providing all facilities at the venue,” he wrote. “The hospitality extended by your staff was excellent. The participants were extremely happy with the infrastructure available at your institution. We thank you again for your timely support for this workshop that was focused on the environment, which is a concern for all.”
 
The workshop also received support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).