Srikanth Godavarthi Hyderabad

TheIndian Green Building Council (IGBC) is pushing for mandatory green-building standards for large real estate projects in Telangana, seeking to move sustainability from voluntary certification to a broader regulatory requirement.

The council has recommended making IGBC Silver certification compulsory for projects developed on plots exceeding 5,000 square metres. It has also sought property-tax concessions for certified residential buildings and incentives for developers undertaking energy-efficiency retrofits.

The proposals come amid the rapid expansion of commercial and residential real estate in Telangana, where energy consumption in buildings is emerging as a major concern.

C. Shekar Reddy , National Chairman of the CII Indian Green Building Council, said energy-efficiency standards should be made mandatory for a wider range of buildings, while voluntary green certification should continue to encourage developers to adopt higher sustainability standards.

"Mandatory standards can ensure that essential measures for energy efficiency, ventilation and thermal comfort are adopted across the real estate sector, rather than remaining limited to premium developments," he said.

IGBC has also called for practical design provisions such as roof insulation, external shading, double-glazed windows on appropriate building orientations, improved natural ventilation and daylighting, besides mandatory EV charging facilities.

The council believes that establishing minimum energy-efficiency requirements through building regulations, coupled with incentives for higher certification levels, could accelerate the adoption of green construction practices.

The economic benefits of such measures are increasingly visible in the commercial real estate sector. Operational data from IGBC Existing Buildings rating-certified commercial projects in Hyderabad indicates average energy savings of around 24% against baseline or projected consumption, with several projects reporting savings exceeding 30%.

These projects have collectively reported annual energy savings of more than 13 GWh. More than 75% have integrated on-site renewable energy systems, while several procure 70% or more of their electricity requirements through off-site renewable sources.

However, the council maintains that wider adoption will require a combination of regulatory changes, financial incentives and greater awareness among developers.

The cost of incorporating green features has also come down substantially. According to Shekar Reddy, an IGBC Silver-rated green home can be designed without any additional construction cost, while a Gold-rated home can be achieved with an incremental investment of less than 1% of the total project cost, provided sustainability measures are incorporated at the planning stage.

In Hyderabad, where apartment prices can exceed Rs 8,000 per square foot, the additional investment for a Gold-rated home could be less than Rs 80 per square foot, he said.

Telangana has 1,283 IGBC-registered buildings, indicating the growing acceptance of green construction practices in the State. The council wants the government to build on this base by bringing more buildings under mandatory energy-efficiency requirements.

The larger objective, according to IGBC, is to make sustainability a basic requirement in building construction rather than a feature restricted to premium commercial developments.