Leading Energy Efficiency in Urban India: The Path to Sustainable Living

By Lodha

As India urbanizes rapidly, the energy footprint of residential buildings is surging, driven by increasing homeownership and enhanced lifestyles. Over the next decade, more than 100 million new households are anticipated, each contributing to the growing demand for electricity. This surge underscores the need for energy-efficient practices to secure India's energy future and sustain economic growth. The choices made today will ripple through generations, making energy-conscious behavior and advanced solutions pivotal for a sustainable tomorrow.

A Transformative Step in Energy Management

Lodha's UrjaAnk initiative represents a bold step toward understanding and optimizing energy usage in urban homes. Beginning with Palava City, the initiative seeks to benchmark typical energy consumption by comparing household data to industry standards and dissecting it by load type. This initiative aligns with India's Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) campaign, weaving together sustainable building practices, green space development, and promoting star-rated appliances. This approach aids sustainable cities and communities, resident wellbeing and property market value.

Our approach to reducing residential energy can be viewed as four concentric circles:

Palava City: A Living Model of Efficient Energy Consumption

Palava City, located near Mumbai, is a testament to Lodha's commitment to energy-efficient urban living. A comprehensive energy benchmarking study of 10,000 households revealed an impressive median Energy Performance Index (EPI) of 41 kWh/m²/year—35% lower than the regional industry average. The city's innovative design elements, such as abundant green and blue infrastructure, block layouts promoting ventilation and daylight, and mandatory use of 5-star rated appliances in new homes, have significantly contributed to this achievement.

Key Insights from Palava:

Lodha's NetZero Urban Accelerator, in partnership with RMI India Foundation, serves as a collaborative platform to shape India's urban energy landscape for emerging eco cities. By analyzing energy consumption behaviors, appliance adoption trends, and building envelope performance, the initiative aims to catalyze the demand for energy-efficient solutions.

UrjaAnk invites stakeholders—policymakers, developers, and residents—to co-create a future of sustainable urban living. From promoting energy performance metrics on utility bills to scaling Palava’s successes across new developments, the vision is clear: a net-zero urban future.

By setting new standards for energy management in residential developments, we can ensure that by designing sustainable cities we provide a prosperous future for all.