The Kotak Indian Institute of Technology Madras Save Energy Mission (KISEM), a collaborative energy-efficiency initiative involving multiple IITs, has completed more than 500 industrial energy audits across the country, according to programme data released on June 4.
Since its launch in 2022, the initiative has carried out 509 energy audits across 30 industrial sectors, issuing 5,850 energy-efficiency recommendations to industries, primarily micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
According to programme estimates, measures already implemented have resulted in annual cost savings of more than Rs 96 crore and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 1.23 lakh metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year. Full implementation of all recommendations could potentially generate annual savings exceeding Rs 404 crore and reduce emissions by nearly 4.58 lakh metric tonnes of CO2e.
The programme currently operates through a network of ten IITs, including IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Indore, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Ropar, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, IIT Jodhpur and IIT Kharagpur.
KISEM traces its origins to the Industrial Energy Audit Cell established at IIT Madras in 2018. The initiative expanded into a multi-IIT collaboration in 2022 under Kotak Mahindra Bank's corporate social responsibility programme and has since broadened its reach across industrial sectors nationwide.
A key development for the programme has been the empanelment of participating centres under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's ADEETIE scheme. The accreditation enables KISEM auditors to conduct investment-grade energy assessments that can be used by industries while planning energy-efficiency upgrades and capital investments.
The programme has also expanded beyond MSMEs into larger industrial decarbonisation projects. According to programme officials, KISEM recently completed a net-zero assessment covering 24 dairy manufacturing facilities operated by a major agro-products company.
In addition, the initiative has developed a proprietary digital platform designed to standardise energy audits and reduce assessment timelines. The platform supports multiple forms of industrial energy studies, including detailed energy audits, greenhouse gas assessments, technology intervention studies and measurement and verification exercises.
The expansion comes as India intensifies efforts to improve industrial energy efficiency and reduce emissions from the manufacturing sector, which remains a significant contributor to the country's overall energy consumption.
