United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon visited the Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, India’s first net zero energy building, Times of India reports.
The building incorporates India’s largest rooftop solar panel, a geothermal heat exchange system and a heat recovery wheel, as well as the following additional energy-efficient equipment:
- Energy efficient T-5 and LED lighting fixtures.
- Chilled-beam cooling system.
- Water-cooled chillers.
- Double skin air handling units with variable frequency drives.
- Energy saving regenerative elevators.
The building was designed to reduce the conventional lighting load by making maximum use of natural daylight. Low heat transmission glass and reflective roofing were used, and the envelope design includes insulation to reduce heat intake.
The building, located at Jor Bagh in South Delhi, has earned a five-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) from the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and a LEED Platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council.
India’s Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats organized a tour of the Indira Paryavaran Bhawan late last year to promote the need for green building strategies in the country.
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