Commercial buildings energy data framework for India: an exploratory study

Buildings account for over 30% of the world’s energy consumption and are therefore a key contributor to a country’s energy as well as carbon budget. Understanding how buildings use energy is critical to understanding how any new policy may impact a building’s energy use. Data enables decisionmaking, and good quality data arms consumers with tools to compare their energy performance relative to their peers. This allows them to differentiate their buildings in the real estate market on the basis of their energy footprint. Good quality data are also essential for policymakers to prioritize their strategies as well as track implementation and impact. Several countries have effective efficiency programs in the buildings sector that are developed on the basis of good quality data. However, the lack of consistent and comprehensive data on commercial building energy end-use and energy-using equipment stock in India’s case continues to impede effective tracking of building energy consumption as well as performance. In this paper, we review the experience of countries across the world with different approaches and systems to collect building energy data, some of whom maintain it on a regular basis. Utilizing others’ experience, we explore potential use cases and approaches for establishing a comprehensive building energy data framework for India.