HYDERABAD: Implementation of cool roofs is now mandatory for all government, government-owned, non residential and commercial buildings irrespective of the site area or built up area. A cool roof is mandatory for the buildings that have a plot area of 600 square yards and above.
The policy compliance of which is mandatory for the issuance of Occupancy Certificate (OC) came into effect from April 1 and it has been incorporated in the building permission applications (TSbPASS). Those buildings which have been already constructed can go for retrofitting. For buildings that have a plot area of less than 600 sqyds, it is voluntary, IT and MAUD Minister K T Rama Rao said.
The State government aims to achieve at least 200 square kilometres of cool roof area in Greater Hyderabad and 100 sq.km in the urban local bodies across Telangana, by 2030. For the current financial year 2023-24, a target of about five sq.mt in GHMC limits and 2.5 sq.km in ULBs has been set to achieve cool roof area.
Unveiling the Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-28 here on Monday, Rama Rao said that a cool roof costs only Rs 300 per square metre but the benefits are long lasting and monetary gains in the form of energy savings are considerable.
Urgent need for cost-efficient cooling in TS
Further, he said that 20 per cent of the area inside ORR will be brought under cool roofing. The State government will implement it in government housing schemes, offices, roads, pavements, and cycling tracks. He spoke about the benefits of the policy aimed at reducing heat island impact and heat stress. The policy has long term objectives which will be of use to future generations.
Telangana is the first in the country to introduce Cool Roof Policy with a vision to make the State a more thermally comfortable, a heat resilient and bring down energy consumption, he explained.
Describing the policy as a step in the right direction to address future climate challenges, the minister said that the roofs reflect some of the sun’s incoming radiation back into the atmosphere, thus reducing heat retention and cooling indoor spaces.
Telangana being the third most urbanised State in the country with almost 50 per cent of the population residing in urban areas, there is an urgent need to introduce cost-effective and climate-friendly cooling solutions to counter the urban heat island effect, he said.
Cool roofing can be implemented by using paints, tiles or other materials. Recalling his conversation with tiles and paints companies’ representatives, he said that people can recover their investment in cool roofing within two years, in the form of energy savings and others. The minister said that awareness campaigns would be taken up to explain to the people the benefits of cool roofs.
The minister directed MAUD Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar to explore ways to provide incentives to encourage builders and property owners to adopt the cool roof policy guidelines.