Proceedings of Energise 2023 : Lifestyle, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change

Benchmarking Buildings Based on Their Energy Performance in Kerala: A Case Study of Kochi

Dhilon Subramanian

World Resources Institute India, Thrissur, India
Corresponding Author:Dhilon.Subramanian@wri.org

Sumedha Malaviya

World Resources Institute India, Thrissur, India

Bharath Jairaj

WRI India, Chennai, India

Cite this article

Subramanian, D., Malaviya, S., Jairaj, B. (2024). Benchmarking Buildings Based on Their Energy Performance in Kerala: A Case Study of Kochi. In Proceedings of Energise 2023- Lifestyle, Energy Efficiency, and Climate Action, pp 76–83, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy. https://doi.org/10.62576/YAZJ7513

Highlights

  • Globally, countries are committing to decarbonizing their building stock. Achieving climate mitigation targets requires an understanding of the efficiency levels of existing buildings. Energy performance benchmarking helps establish baseline efficiencies and provides policymakers, building portfolio owners, and managers with the information they need to design and implement building efficiency programs.
  • We tested a novel benchmarking methodology for offices in Kochi to understand the availability of data and practical challenges if benchmarking were to be scaled up.
  • For each office, we derived a Building Performance Index (BPI) using statistical regression techniques. Twenty-two offices out of 50 had a BPI < 1 or were relatively more efficient than other offices. We also observed an average Energy Performance Index (EPI) of 130 kilowatt-hours per square meter per year (kWh/m2/year) for sample office buildings, with EPI values ranging from 21.3 to 441.7 kWh/m2/year.
  • Through a qualitative survey, we documented perceptions of the importance of energy efficiency (EE) services in offices of varying ownership and management structures. There were no significant differences in the attitudes and perceptions of owner- and tenant-occupied offices.
  • City-level benchmarking can be done in India with minimum data by supporting back-end statistical analysis resources and tools. The benchmarking methodology we have adopted in this study could guide such efforts at national and subnational levels. We recommend India take a more institutional approach to benchmark energy performance.

Abstract

Many developed countries regularly conduct building energy use benchmarking for continuous monitoring and evaluation of energy efficiency (EE) programs and policies to inform the design of new ones. Such activities also provide an opportunity to engage with building owners, tenants, and managers on RE and EE policies and programs. Our study was aimed at developing a methodology for citywide energy benchmarking exercises in India. We tested a novel benchmarking methodology for offices in Kochi to understand the availability of data and practical challenges if benchmarking were to be scaled up. The study was also aimed at documenting barriers to retrofits for different owner-tenant models.

Keywords

Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Benchmarking, Energy Performance

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References

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