From Vision to Reality: India's Green Rating Systems in Action

From Vision to Reality India's Green Rating Systems in Action

Progress of Green Building Ratings in India

The progress of green building ratings in India has been significant, driven by growing awareness of sustainability and the need to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Various rating systems, such as the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), EDGE and LEED India, have been instrumental in promoting eco-friendly practices. These systems evaluate buildings on parameters like energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and indoor environmental quality. Over the years, India has seen a sharp rise in the number of green-certified buildings, with IGBC, GRIHA, LEEDD, EDGE and WELL Certifications are certifying thousands of projects across diverse sectors, including residential, commercial, educational, and healthcare. This movement reflects India’s commitment to sustainable development, as developers, architects, and corporations increasingly adopt green standards to address climate challenges, enhance resource efficiency, and improve occupant well-being.

The pledge for Sustainable Buildings is a viable approach to meet environmental, social, and economic goals. Certain rating systems are user centric, some environment centric and some focuses on the building alone. It is equally important to take into consideration all the factors while designing a green building.

Overview of Rating Systems

RATING	IGBC	GRIHA	LEED	EDGE
INITIATED BY	IGBC is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)	GRIHA is an independent not-for-profit society established jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India (GoI)	LEED is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization.	International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)

RATING	IGBC	GRIHA	LEED	EDGE
INITIATED BY	IGBC is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)	GRIHA is an independent not-for-profit society established jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India (GoI)	LEED is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization.	International Finance Corporation (IFC)
YEAR	Formed in 2001	Formed in 2007	Formed in 1998	Formed in 2011
VISION	“To enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025”	GRIHA Council, stand for credibility, integrity and inclusiveness, while upholding Indian ethos for future-ready and sustainable habitat.	The vision of LEED is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, constructed, and operated, enabling an environmentally responsible, healthy, and prosperous future	EDGE is a green building certification system focused on making buildings more resource efficient.
RATING CRITERIA	Rating based on credit -Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum	Star rating 1-5	Rating based on credit -Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum	Edge certified; Edge advanced
FOCUS /THRUST	Builders, developers, owners, architects and consultants in India to design & construct green buildings	GRIHA is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks.	LEED is globally recognized and caters to builders, developers, owners, architects, and consultants worldwide, encouraging them to design and construct sustainable and energy-efficient buildings.	To respond to the need for a measurable and credible solution to prove the business case for building green and to show financial investment
CREDIT SECTION	Site Selection and Planning Water Conservation Energy Efficiency Building Materials and Resources Indoor Environmental Quality Health and hygiene Green education Innovation and Development	Sustainable site planning Construction management Energy optimization Occupant comfort Water management Solid waste management Sustainable building material Life cycle costing Socio- economic strategies Performance metering & monitoring Innovation	Location and Transportation Sustainable sites Water efficiency Energy and atmosphere Materials and resources Indoor environmental quality Innovation in design Regional priority	Energy efficiency Water efficiency Material efficiency
WEIGHTAGE OF CRITERION / IMPERATIVES	47 criteria with 10 mandatory criteria for 100 points	30 criteria with 17 mandatory for 105 points	Pre-requisites differs for each typology, 110 points	20% savings in Energy, Water and Material
RATING RENEWAL	3 years	5 years	3 Years for O&M	NA
POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION	Not Required	Final GRIHA rating after 1 year of Post Occupancy Evaluation	Not Required	Not Required

Unified Objectives:

Many green building rating systems have been developed globally, each adapted to the environmental, social, and economic circumstances of its own country. The general goal of these frameworks focuses on environmental sustainability, social well-being, and economic viability, emphasize the holistic approach needed to address the challenges of climate change and urbanization.

In conclusion, the progress of green building rating systems in India reflects a growing recognition of the importance of sustainability in the built environment. Despite India’s significant strides in the adoption of green technology projects and built-up areas, there remains a vast potential for further expansion.