Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan have done exceedingly well in adopting energy efficiency measures in the first ever serious attempt to map energy efficiency attained by the States.

Kerala, with 77 points, leads among the States and Union Territories, followed by Rajasthan (68) and Andhra Pradesh (66.5) in the first edition of the State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index, brought out jointly by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and NITI Aayog.

Front runners

These three States together with Maharashtra and Punjab — also scored above 60 — were designated as Front Runner States in the survey, which assessed State policies and programmes aimed at improving energy efficiency in five key sectors such as buildings, industries, municipalities, transportation, agriculture and electricity distribution. The other categories were Achiever (60-50), Contender (49-30) and Aspirant (below 30).

For better comparison, the States were classified according to their energy consumption into four different groups.

The Index has been developed taking into account sector-wise energy consumption, energy saving potential and States’ influence in implementing energy efficiency. The Index examines States’ policies and regulations, financing mechanisms, institutional capacity, adoption of energy efficiency measures and energy savings achieved. The Index has a total of 63 indicators — 59 across buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture and Discoms, and 4 cross-cutting indicators.

Objectives

“Efficient use of energy is the fastest, cheapest and cleanest way to meet India’s rising energy demand and power the nation’s growth. The State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index will help in implementing national energy efficiency initiatives in the States and meet both State as well as national goals on energy security, energy access and climate change,” Secretary in the Power Ministry AK Bhalla said in his address.

While most States have implemented one or more national programmes driven by BEE and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd, the ‘Front runner’ and ‘Achiever’ States have several State-level initiatives as well.

In the building sector, most States have implemented UJALA for energy efficient lighting. However, less than half have notified the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and incorporated ECBC in municipal building bye-laws.

A few States mandated energy audits for certain category of buildings and provide financial incentives for energy efficient building construction and retrofits. In the industry sector, BEE’s PAT programme is fairly well implemented, with State Designated Agencies supporting BEE’s efforts.

Municipal measures

In the municipal sector, most States have used EESL’s Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) and a fair number have signed up for EESL’s Municipal Energy Efficiency Programme (MEEP) for public water works and sewerage system retrofits.

A few States have State-level municipal energy efficiency initiatives as well. With regard to energy efficient transportation, most states track the fuel efficiency of State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTU) which is published by MoRTH in its annual report on SRTU performance.

T&D losses

Consumers in most States have utilised the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles scheme to purchase hybrid/electric vehicles. In Discoms, the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses are still high in most States leading to enormous energy leakages, with only three States — Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — having T&D losses under 15 per cent.

The report said periodic release of the State Energy Efficiency Index shall help track progress in managing States’ energy footprint and provide guidance in formulating data-driven, evidence-based policies and programmes at the State level. It will also contribute towards national energy data management by helping streamline energy efficiency data collection in the States.