Telangana on Monday formally launched the Cool Roof Policy 2023-28 that mandates cool roofing for all non residential, institutional, government buildings and residential ones with a plot area of 600 square yards and above in order to reduce urban heat island impact and bring down energy consumption and thwart the effects of climate change.

Telangana became the first state in the country to make it a policy in order to tackle climate change and make the state thermally comfortable and heat resilient, said Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao. The policy that came into effect from 1 April has been incorporated in applications for building permissions as well and he urged the builders adopt the policy keeping in mind the interest of the future generations. He said henceforth occupancy certificates will be linked to compatibility with cool roofing solutions.

A cool roof is painted with solar reflective paint or covered in white tiles or membranes and it is an easy but cost effective way to help fight climate change. Cool roofs help keep indoor temperature lower than in households with traditional roofs as they reflect around 80 per cent of the sunlight compared to 20 per cent from regular ones.

The Cool roofs provide thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption due to air conditioning at the top floor as well saving on carbon dioxide emissions which is considered the primary driver for global climate change. They also require limited maintenance and save in terms of energy cost and increase the longevity of the roof beneath them.

The minister said he had already tried it on his own residence. “I have already painted it and it worked,” said Rao adding the cost would come to about Rs300 per square metre for cool roof painting or tiles.

In this financial year the target would be to cover five square kms in Hyderabad and 2.5 km in the rest of Telangana. This will be doubled every year to reach 200 square km in Hyderabad and 100 square km in the next five years. A total of 300 square km of cool roof will contribute to saving 600 million units of energy per year. The minister also directed the municipal administration department secretary to explore awarding incentives to encourage builders and property owners to adopt the policy guidelines.