Assessment of energy efficiency for traditional non-engineered and engineered residential buildings – A case of North-Eastern India

Abstract

Huge energy consumption in the building sector and consequent Green House Gas (GHG) emission is a major sustainability concern for India. According to Government of India (GOI) energy statistics, residential and commercial structures consumed 32% of the India’s total electricity produced in 2016. The energy demand of India’s buildings is predicted to face a hike of 800% in 2047 as compared to 2012. In 2015, India as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris, voluntarily declared a goal to reduce the intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) emissions by 20–25%, over 2005 levels, by 2020.Most of the initiatives taken in the developed countries as well as in India focus on engineered buildings. There is significant gap in the assessment of non-engineered buildings with scant attention for small sized traditional residential buildings. As majority of the buildings (especially Assam-type housing) in the towns and rural areas in the Northeast are primarily constructed with traditional materials and construction techniques, they contribute significantly in the cumulative energy consumption in the country.The article focuses on non-engineered traditional and engineered, single storey houses of North-Eastern India. These traditional houses, made of Ikra (a locally available reed and effective against earthquake events), wood and mud, are unfortunately becoming extinct with advent of newer technologies. Energy performances of these buildings using traditional and conventional construction materials have been assessed through Whole Building Energy Simulation and the results are compared with iterations in buildings using parametric data prescribed in Eco Niwas Samhita - the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), in India. The study suggests the scope analysed best case building parameters in real life construction, to ensure better efficiency in energy performance and, thereby making the houses less dependent on mechanical /active systems for achieving thermal comfort.