Cool roof to improve thermal comfort in houses for poor
VIJAYAWADA: As part of its concerted efforts to make the gigantic housing scheme of Andhra Pradesh the best energy-efficient housing programme in the country, the AP Housing Department is planning to implement a demonstration project in the model house by facilitating a cool roof that helps improve the thermal comfort and enhance energy efficiency.
During a round-table meeting on facilitating Cool Roof Adoption in affordable housing in Andhra Pradesh with AP State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM), Indo Swiss BEEP and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) officials held on Tuesday in Vijayawada, Special Chief Secretary for Housing Ajay Jain (who participated through online) emphasised the need for studying in depth the impact of the cool roof. Andhra Pradesh may be the first State in the country to construct around 28.3 lakh houses with modern global energy efficient technologies to improve energy efficiency and enhance thermal comfort in residential buildings.
The ultimate goal of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is to provide the best services for enhancing the quality of life of the beneficiaries, he said. The Special CS welcomed the cool roof initiative in the housing sector. He thanked the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for its support through Indo-Swiss BEEP in developing the Technical Analysis Report on Improving Energy Efficiency of YSR-Jagananna Colonies.
BEE and Indo-Swiss BEEP, in coordination with Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM) and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) listed out key interventions to make the typical housing as energy efficient and thermally comfortable and trained more than 1,300 engineers across the State.
During the meeting, Managing Director, AP State Housing Corporation Limited, Narayan Bharat Gupta said in order to take the BEEP key interventions forward at the ground level implementation, the AP Housing Department is keen on developing demo projects which serve as a model house by facilitating cool roof.
The AP Housing Department has finalised three districts – Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Kakinada -- wherein ASCI would conduct cool roof impact study in 12 selected houses (4 houses per location) and prepare a report with details of cool roof materials, available manufactures/suppliers, cost of the material etc, the MD explained.
Advantages of cool roof
Cool roof conserves energy and saves costs by reducing cooling load requirements in a building
It mitigates urban heat island effect, improves air quality and combats climate change
It enhances durability and appearance of roof
Increases energy access by reducing peak load on the grid
It helps build community resilience to extreme heat by reducing heat stress