Identifying Opportunities for Mainstreaming Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience in Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules (TNCDBR) 2019

Identifying Opportunities for Mainstreaming Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience in Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules (TNCDBR) 2019

The pair of first DPL and IPF operations aim to support the government’s ongoing efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing by gradually shifting the role of the state from being the main provider to an enabler. It also aims to unlock regulatory barriers and incentivize private sector participation in affordable housing for low-income families. The second DPL operation will specifically look to deepen these measures to make the affordable housing sector more efficient, inclusive, and resilient. One of these reform areas under the focus of the second DPL is the strengthening of the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules 2019 (TNCDBR).

The project undertook a review of the TNCDBR with respect to (i) building energy efficiency, (ii) overlapping climate resilience aspects, and proposing specific amendments which can be incorporated into the Regulation. The outputs are to be further passed on to the Government of Tamil Nadu for their consideration as part of their efforts of strengthening the TNCDBR. The main tasks involved were:

• To study the existing TNCDBR 2019 and all the amendments so far to understand the status of inclusion of building energy efficiency considerations. 
  
• To study relevant regional and national regulations and guidelines to understand different approaches to be incorporated into the building energy efficiency requirements regulations.
• To commence discussions with relevant government agencies and the private sector to identify possible entry points and expected impacts on the market of the proposed amendments to the Rules. 
• To analyze the energy consumption patterns of municipal services to understand inefficiencies and to study the feasibility of incorporating green building certification/ specifications for affordable housing like those outlined in Eco Niwas Samhita 2021.
• To analyze the feasibility of incorporating specific elements to promote climate resilience in building design, including energy/water/other resource efficiencies, innovative technology and green design, use of locally sourced, recycled, and other low-carbon materials, etc. 
• To analyze possible passive as well as mechanical design strategies that will promote thermal comfort, as appropriate to Tamil Nadu’s climate context. 
• To correlate analysis and recommendations in areas that overlap with climate resilience (e.g., urban heat islands) to provide holistic inputs to promote energy efficiency.