India Environment Portal Knowledge for change

Green rating problems

• 29/11/2007
• Down To Earth

griha, a rating system for green buildings developed by The Energy and Resources Institute ( teri ), has been formalized as the first national rating system. teri signed a memorandum of understanding with the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to this effect on November 1.

Mili Majumdar, area convenor, griha, says the rating system has been designed to suit Indian conditions and in particular for non air-conditioned buildings, unlike international rating systems like us -based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (leed), which is designed for energy efficiency measures in air-conditioned buildings only.But V Raghuraman, principal adviser and chief co-ordinator, energy environment and natural resources, Confederation of Indian Industry, says, " leed is far ahead of griha. A rating system is not just about energy consumption of a building but many other things like recycling and natural habitat. There are 30 buildings certified with leed under India.'

griha has 32 criteria for rating buildings, with a total of 100 points. A building needs to score at least 50 to apply for certification. Preserving landscape during construction; soil conservation after construction; reducing air pollution are some of the qualifying criteria. Buildings will also need to quantify energy consumption in absolute terms and not percentages alone.

But a leed -accredited professional from Delhi says the "social' aspect, which is "most important', is missing in griha