It’s interesting to see how other nations tackle energy efficiency in buildings. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)’s Handbook of Replicable Designs for Energy Efficient Residential Buildings in India provides standardised and practical design templates aimed at reducing energy use in Indian homes. It does this by working through Passive House design strategies tuned for Indian climates. The notable difference compared to New Zealand is the absence of heat recovery ventilation.
Even though India’s climate and building methods differ from places like New Zealand, the core principles of energy efficiency are universal . This handbook offers valuable perspectives on achieving energy-efficient design through replicable solutions and climate-responsive strategies. Just as we look to international examples for Passive House thermal bridging solutions, understanding how India promotes energy efficiency via design guides can inform our own approaches. The handbook focuses on reducing operational energy for heating, cooling, and ventilation across the country.
It’s worth at least a skim read for the shading strategies alone.