Energy conservation amendment bill, All you need to know

The Lok Sabha has recently passed the Bill to amend the Energy Conservation Act. The Bill also expands the membership of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) governing council. At this critical juncture when India is driving global actions toward a sustainable future, this bill reflects the government's commitment towards sustainable development goals. Energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest and cleanest way at our disposal to address climate change issues.

Empowering states to facilitate and enforce energy efficiency programs, including on demand side management, will help localise efforts for energy efficiency. by extending the scope of the Act from energy savings to carbon reductions, the government is getting ready to reduce the emissions intensity of the economy by combining energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The Bill has proposed amending the Energy Conservation Building Code to Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Codes to include renewable energy and other such criteria. This is an important amendment that will move the EC Act from conservation to sustainability to equitable energy transition.

In the short-term, tax credits similar to Production Linked Incentives must be given to manufacturers to make the latest and best available technologies. It will also allow India to become a manufacturing hub of green and clean technology and will pave the way for substantial reductions in emissions intensity.