Due to harsh climatic conditions and lossy design, buildings in J&K consume nearly 50% of the total energy, compared with around 35% at the national level. However, energy efficiency in buildings remains largely an unknown concept in J&K. People are familiar with star ratings for water heaters, refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances, but the concept of star-rated buildings is virtually unknown here, even among town planners, development agencies, architects and engineers, let alone the general public.

One of the reasons for this lack of awareness and implementation is that J&K is yet to adopt the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and Eco-Niwas Samhita – ENS (Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings). Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) established under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, introduced the ECBC for commercial buildings in 2007 and updated it in 2017. Jammu & Kashmir has not yet adopted the code despite submitting amendments for approval in 2022. BEE also launched the updated Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code for commercial buildings (ECSBC-2024), along with the Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code for Residential Buildings (Eco Niwas Samhita ENS – 2024), neither of which J&K has adopted till date. J&K is therefore 19 years behind in this regard. 

For the ECSBC, formerly known as ECBC, to become legally binding and enforceable within UT, a two-step statutory process must be completed: 1. UT Gazette Notification: Under Section 15(a) of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, the UT Government must first formally amend the central code to suit local climatic conditions and notify the State ECSBC Rules in its official government gazette. 2. Incorporation........

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