IE: Indian group joins hands with Clinton Climate Initiative to retrofit buildings: June 13, 2008

 

Marking the biggest and first of its kind tie-up in the private sector, Real Estate major K Raheja Corp is working with former US president Bill Clinton-led Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to retrofit their buildings across the country to cut Green House Gases.

 

 “Climate change is a global problem that requires local action,” Bill Clinton had said on May 17 last year, while announcing the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program which looks at retrofitting the larger buildings in sixteen of the world’s largest cities.

Mumbai is one of the cities listed from India, where K Raheja Corp has started work on Inorbit Mall in Malad and a hotel in Powai, first in their list of 20 odd buildings to be retrofitted.

While the concept of constructing green buildings is fairly established, retrofitting existing new buildings is comparatively a new concept. And the real estate group, which plans to retrofit all its properties, is not only looking at cuts in energy bills but also at a savvy international image.

“We have signed a first-ever project development under the Clinton Climate Initiative and are working on the energy audit with Johnsons Control, one of the companies introduced as the leading energy efficiency provider by the CCI,” says Shabbir Kanchwala, associate vice president, K Raheja Corp. And it’s not just about energy saving, he says.

“Not only will we cut our energy expenditure by 20 to 25 per cent, but will also save up to 20 per cent water. Moreover, this is also building for the future as don’t sell any of our properties. Instead, we lease them out to world renowned companies like Microsoft, which like to work in savvy, eco-friendly buildings. We are the first ones to retrofit our buildings, but we are also the first to gain this competitive edge,” says Kanchwala.

Work has started in Mumbai and Hyderabad, and according to the company, 50 lakh square feet of built space (in over 20 odd buildings) will be retrofitted. For the process, smarter glass varieties (which let in light, not heat) and better suited air-conditioning systems are used. Sewage treatment is also done to conserve and recycle water.

While some government buildings have been retrofitted for cutting carbon emissions, the concept is still picking up in the private sector. “Many government buildings under the CPWD have been retrofitted, like the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The concept is catching up now in the private sector as retrofitting to cut emissions is a win-win situation,” says Sanjay Seth, Energy Economist, Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/322155.html