Creating Cool Houses in Telangana: A Guide to Beat the Heat

The Government of Telangana has launched the Cool Roof Policy, making it the first state in India to implement such an initiative. The policy aims to reduce the urban heat island effect and decrease energy consumption. The Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-28 recommends cool roofs as a measure to build resilience against extreme heat. The policy came into effect on April 1, 2021, and is already incorporated with building permission applications. The cool roof is mandatory for all government, government-owned, non-residential, and commercial buildings. Occupancy certificates will only be issued after ensuring compliance with the policy. The cool roof application is mandatory for residential buildings with a plot area of 600 square yards and above, but it is optional for buildings with less than 600 square yards. The cost for cool roof painting or tiles is Rs 300 per square metre. Cool roofs are painted with solar reflective paint, covered in white tiles, or with white membrane. They help fight climate change by mitigating the urban heat island effect and reducing cooling demand. Cool roofs reflect around 80% of sunlight compared to 20% from regular roofs. They can keep indoor temperatures 2.1-4.3 degrees lower than traditional roofs, need limited maintenance, and can save 20% in energy costs while increasing the longevity of the roof beneath them. Under the cool roof policy, Telangana has set a target of 5 square kilometre area for Hyderabad urban agglomeration and 2.5 square kilometre for the rest of the state in 2023-24. This will be doubled every year to reach 200 square kilometres in Hyderabad and 100 square kilometres in the rest of the state by 2028-29. A total of 300 square kilometres of cool roof in the entire state is expected to help save 600 million units of energy per year.