A REVIEW OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN RESIDENTIAL SECTOR IN INDIA; POSSIBILITIES FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION

Building industry is one of the largest consumers of energy and thus has a high potential of saving the consumption as well. Currently, the residential and commercial sectors account for 30% (22% residential and 8% commercial) of total electricity use and consumption in these sectors is rising at 8% annually (Dr Satish Kumar, USAID ECO - III Project, 2011). As energy consumption from residential buildings is predicted to raise by more than eight times by 2050 under the business as usual scenario, it is of vital importance for India to develop energy-efficiency strategies focused on the residential sector to limit the current trend of unsustainable escalating energy demand (Residential buildings in India, projections and saving potential, 2014). The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has carried out energy audits in buildings which show that existing buildings have 30 to 50 percent energy savings potential. This paper tries to understand the energy consumption in residential sector and the ways to optimize it through the identification of suitable electrical equipment and appliances. This paper studies the energy consumption pattern in residential sector in India and tries to explore the possibilities of energy optimization.