The 65% discount isn't the results of reducing corners, however of embracing sensible, sustainable options.
“This one small change has utterly altered our method to electrical energy use,” Rahim Karovalia, a member of the housing society's managing committee, advised TOI.
Inexperienced concepts, large influence
The transformation started in October final 12 months, when the society partnered with the Aga Khan Company for Habitat (AKAH) to implement a pilot inexperienced retrofit programme.
TOI additional reported that the modifications have been widespread and punctiliously thought out. A complete of 150 motion-sensor lights have been put in in corridors, lobbies and staircases, guaranteeing that vitality was used solely when wanted. Fourteen high-efficiency floodlights now illuminate the parking space, consuming far much less energy than their predecessors.
Maybe most importantly, a 44-kWp photo voltaic photovoltaic system was mounted on the terraces, supplying clear energy to help these upgrades. To enhance the vitality financial savings, residents additionally turned to water conservation, putting in effectivity measures throughout the advanced.
A kitchen backyard now thrives in a nook of the property, and a composting unit is being set as much as recycle family waste into manure, closing the loop between sustainability and on a regular basis residing.
The retrofit didn't cease at widespread areas. Inside particular person houses, every flat was outfitted with brushless DC (BLDC) followers, which eat lower than half the ability of older fashions. For residents like Parvin Jasani, 64, the distinction is tangible: her month-to-month family invoice has fallen from Rs 1,800 to round Rs 1,000.
“We didn't realise that small modifications can have such large impacts,” she advised the information outlet. Her husband, Bahadur, added, “Consciousness of what folks can do on the family stage must be constructed,” he says.
AKAH paired the technical interventions with capacity-building programmes, serving to residents perceive the worth of energy-efficient home equipment and easy behavioural shifts. For a lot of, it was an eye-opener.
We at all times believed that the longer you utilize an equipment the less expensive it's. We didn't realise that an previous, energy-draining equipment can really be extra pricey in the long term. Neither have been we conscious of the advantages of high-starred home equipment,” Anisha Maknojiya, 48, recalled to TOI.
Recognition and ripple impact
The numbers inform the story of success: 41% financial savings in vitality, 35% in water use, 59% in materials effectivity, and an annual discount of 232.78 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. These achievements propelled Nav Yuwan into the highlight earlier this 12 months, when it grew to become the primary housing society in Asia to obtain the celebrated EDGE Superior inexperienced constructing certification.
Developed by the Worldwide Finance Company, EDGE is a world normal that recognises buildings assembly bold sustainability and emissions discount targets, TOI.
For Karovalia and his fellow residents, the certification is extra than simply an accolade. “It demonstrates our efforts at sustainability to residents, distributors and the municipal company. It would, little doubt, additionally enhance the worth of our flats,” he mentioned.
Past delight of possession, the challenge is proving that retrofitting is a viable local weather resolution for India's older housing inventory. In contrast to new eco-friendly developments, Nav Yuwan is three many years previous. Its success proves that current buildings could be upgraded with out demolition, a reality echoed by international analysis
A examine cited within the TOI by the Rocky Mountain Institute discovered that retrofitting an current construction produces 50–70% fewer carbon emissions in comparison with constructing anew.
“Inexperienced retrofits enhance thermal consolation, decrease vitality demand, scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions, and prolong the lifetime of current buildings,” Prerana Langa, CEO of AKAH India advised the media outlet. “The Nav Yuwan pilot is a proof-of-concept for Local weather Motion Plan interventions on vitality and water effectivity in residential sector and institutional buildings. It exhibits how sensible, low-cost interventions can ship significant measurable outcomes and enhance resilience, with out the necessity for brand spanking new building,” she added.
A mannequin for the longer term
The challenge dovetails neatly with the Mira Bhayandar Local weather Motion Plan (MB CAP) 2024–2050, a joint initiative of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Company and AKAH.
Launched in January this 12 months, MB CAP targets a 36% lower in emissions by 2047, with a concentrate on warmth resilience and low-carbon housing. The residential sector accounts for 62% of Mira Bhayandar's electrical energy use and 40.5% of its energy-related emissions, making initiatives like Nav Yuwan's retrofit essential.
Encouragingly, the mannequin is spreading. Phrase of Nav Yuwan's success has reached neighbouring housing societies, lots of that are keen to duplicate the system.
Based on the report, the retrofit price the society about Rs 17,500 per flat—a value many are prepared to pay for long-term financial savings. In the meantime, AKAH has already utilized related retrofits to a few municipal faculties in Mira Bhayandar.
Based on Langa, the mannequin is scalable if supported via coverage, municipal financing, and group participation.
“By linking retrofits to routine upkeep cycles, municipal budgets, and business funding returns, the mannequin shifts from one-off initiatives to mainstream adoption,” she advised TOI. “This makes structural scale-up viable throughout Mira Bhayandar and replicable in different cities.”
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