The focus of the Initiative is to promote R&D activities to improve energy performance of buildings and cities.The programme also supports enhancement of knowledge and practice to save energy indesign, construction and operation of human habitats. It undertakes research on demand reduction through improved building envelops, low energy cooling & heating, social practices of adaptive thermal comfort and post-occupancy evaluation. Special emphasis is on cooling technology that requires radically less energy to operate, utilizes refrigerants with no ozonedepletion potential and with low global warming potential, and has the potential to be cost effective at scale.

Programmes

1. National Initiative to Promote Habitat Energy Efficiency (I-PHEE)

India has declared a voluntary goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33–35 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. This can be achieved through promoting energy efficiency. Currently, the building sector accounts for about 35% of the country’s energy consumption, and therefore the role of the building sector towards energy efficiency and energy conservation are imperative.

This initiative was launched in  July, 2016 to support research and development  to improve energy performance of buildings and cities in India. The initiative envisages support to India specific outcome based research in the areas of energy efficient building envelop technologies, low energy cooling systems, daylighting and electric lighting, building automation and controls for energy savings and research which can provide scientific inputs to policy formulation and help devise procedures, codes and standards.

2. Collaborations

2.1 India-UK Programme on Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment

DST and Research Councils United Kingdom (RCUK) Energy Programme, jointly developed a programme for collaborative research projects focussing on reducing energy demand in the built environment.

Energy demand reduction and energy efficiency are recognised as the most effective interventions to meet the 2050 greenhouse gas reduction target in order to mitigate climate change. Reducing energy demand also makes access to clean energy more affordable and improves energy security, thereby addressing all three aspects of the energy trilemma in a cost-effective way. Both DST and RCUK have committed to a £3.8M to support R&D projects in the area of Energy demand reduction in the built environment. 4 proposals have been supported for funding.

2.2 Affordable Heating and Cooling of Building

Affordable Heating and Cooling of Building aims to make low carbon heating and cooling affordable for everyone. The ultimate goal of the programme is to develop core building cooling systems and measures to improve building envelopes without the carbon emissions.

DST and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has announced Global Cooling Prize (GCP), a first of its kind global competition that aims to identify a low energy cooling technology for Indian climatic conditions and also intends to prevent up to 100 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent emissions by 2050, and put the world on a pathway to mitigate up to 0.5˚C of global   warming by 2100.

3. Building Energy Efficiency Higher & Advanced Network (BHAVAN) Programme

In order to address the need for human resource development and capacity building in the areas energy efficiency in buildings , Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) have partnered to launch the BHAVANFellowship/ internshipprogramme with an aim to create a sustainable and vibrant linkage betweenstudents and scientists in the domain from India and the US.