Indian power utilities lose about $5 billion a year. Consumer use of inefficient technologies and systems contributes to these losses – straining the power supply and wasting large amounts of energy. Meanwhile, the country’s continued economic growth is expected to make the Indian economy the fourth largest consumer of energy in the world by 2015. Increased energy efficiency can help alleviate the stress that growth will place on energy supplies, the environment and the financial resources needed to keep the economy running.

USAID’s Energy Conservation and Commercialization (ECO) project helps develop and implement policies that enhance the capabilities of the private and public sector to deploy energy efficient technologies and services. A three phase program, ECO first helped India launch its Bureau of Energy Efficiency to enforce the country’s Energy Conservation Act of 2000 and provided technical assistance for the formation of the bureau’s action plan. Phase two moved the plan to the state level, helping agencies in target states to develop energy conservation strategies and initiate pilot projects to test new approaches. The second phase also contributed to the establishment of India’s first energy efficiency codes for buildings.

Now in its third phase, ECO focuses on helping governments and businesses introduce the technologies and methods to decrease inefficiency and conserve energy.
Working with state and municipal governments, ECO:

• Builds the capacities of implementing agencies to develop and implement energy efficiency programs in key sectors – including building codes
• Expands and replicates successful pilot projects from the program’s second phase
• Demonstrates the financial benefit of energy conservation
• Develops curricula for post-graduate courses in energy efficiency – forming a cadre of professionals well versed in energy conservation
• Incorporates commercial labeling to ensure standardization and promotion of energy-efficient technologies and materials.

International Institute of Energy Conservation (IIEC) and Nexant, Inc. were partners during earlier phases of the program.