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The Indian Green Building Council lays down certain broad criteria on rating green homes. This move can go a long way in aiding sustanable economic growth

There has been much talk on the real estate sector going green.The housing sector in India is growing at a rapid pace and contributing immensely to the growth of the economy. This is a good signal for the country and now there is an imminent need to introduce green concepts and techniques in this sector, which can aid growth in a sustainable manner.
Green concepts and techniques in the residential sector can help address national issues like handling of consumer waste, water efficiency, reduction in fossil fuel use in commuting, energy efficiency and conserving natural resources.Most importantly,these concepts can enhance occupant health and well-being.
Against this background, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has launched the ‘IGBC Green Homes Rating System’ to address the national priorities.By applying the IGBC Green Homes criteria, homes, which are sustainable over the lifecycle of the building, can be constructed.
This rating programme is a tool that enables the designer to apply green concepts and criteria so as to reduce the environmental impacts, which are measurable. The programme covers methodologies to cover diverse climatic zones and changing lifestyles.
IGBC Green Homes is the first rating programme developed in India, exclusively for the residential sector. It is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known established practices and emerging concepts. The system is designed to be comprehensive in scope,yet simple in operation.
IGBC set up the Green Homes Core Committee to develop the rating programme. This committee comprised key stakeholders including architects, developers, home owners, manufacturers, institutions and industry representatives.The committee,with a diverse background and knowledge has enriched the rating system both in its content and process.IGBC set up the Green Homes Core Committee to focus on the residential sector. The varied experience and professions of the committee members brought in a holistic perspective to the process of developing the rating programme.
BENEFITS OF GREEN HOME
Green homes can have tremendous benefits, both tangible and intangible.The immediate tangible benefit is the reduction in water and operating energy costs right from day one, during the entire lifecycle of the building. The energy savings could range from 20 to 30 percent and water savings around 30 to 50 percent. Green Homes Rating tool can also enhance marketability for the project.
PRIORITIES ADDRESSED IN RATING SYSTEM
The Green Homes Rating System addresses water conservation, handling of consumer wastes,energy conservation,conservation of resources like wood and lesser dependence on usage of virgin materials.
WATER EFFICIENCY
Most of the Asian countries are water-stressed and in countries like India the water level has reduced drastically over the last decade.Green homes encourage use of water in a self-sustainable manner through reducing, recycling and reusing strategies. By adopting this rating programme homes can save potable water to an extent of 30 to 50 percent.
CONSUMER WASTE
Handling of waste in residential buildings is extremely difficult as most of the waste generated is not segregated at the time of disposal and has a high probability of going to land fills. The IGBC Green Homes rating programme encourages waste management through segregation, storage and effective disposal.
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
The residential sector is a large consumer of electrical energy. The rating system encourages green homes to select and use BEE labeled equipment and appliances, leading to energy savings to the tune of 20 to 30 percent.
REDUCED USE OF FOSSIL FUELS AND MATERIAL
Fossil fuel is a slowly depleting resource the world over.The use of fossil fuel for transportation has been a major source of pollution. The rating system encourages the use of alternate fuels for transportation and captive power generation. The rating system encourages projects to use recycled and reused material and discourages the use of virgin wood, thereby addressing environmental impacts.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The health and well-being of occupants is the most important aspect of green homes. IGBC Green Homes Rating System ensures day lighting and ventilation,which are critical in a home. The rating system recognises measures to minimise indoor air pollutants.
FEATURES OF IGBC GREEN HOME
IGBC Green Homes Rating System is a voluntary and consensus-based programme. The rating system has been developed based on materials and technologies that are presently available. The objective of IGBC Green Homes is to facilitate the creation of energy-efficient, water-efficient, healthy and environmentfriendly residential buildings.
The rating system evaluates certain credit points using a prescriptive approach and other credits on a performancebased approach. The system is evolved so as to be comprehensive and at the same time userfriendly. It uses well-accepted national standards and appropriate international benchmarks wherever found necessary.
FUTURE OF IGBC GREEN HOMES
Many new green building materials, equipment and technologies are being introduced in the market. With continuous up-gradation and introduction of new green technologies and products, it is important that the rating programme also keeps pace with current standards and technologies. Therefore, the rating programme will also undergo periodic revisions to incorporate the latest advances and changes. It is important to note that project teams applying for IGBC Green Homes should register their projects with the latest version of the rating system. During the course of implementation, projects have an option to transit to the latest version of the rating system.