GURUGRAM: A long-term strategy is underway to combat rising heat stress and increasing air-conditioning demands in the city, incorporating passive design techniques, eco-friendly materials, efficient cooling solutions, and district cooling networks.
Gurgaon has unveiled its first ‘Cooling Action Plan’ amid projections of sharply rising cooling demand and emissions by 2050. Commissioned by GMDA, the plan emphasizes methods like green roofs coupled with underfloor cooling systems and minimizing air leakage.
“The cooling action plan highlights that implementing passive design, improving building envelopes, and targeted strategies such as green roofs and district cooling can decrease cooling energy consumption by up to two-thirds for specific building types,” stated Anindya Bhattacharya, executive director of Celestial Earth. This firm also formulated Gurgaon’s Net Zero Emissions Roadmap, with a deliberate overlap since cooling is seen as a major future driver of electricity demand and emissions in the city. The two plans are integrated to ensure that rising cooling needs do not compromise the city’s long-term climate objectives.”
Bhattacharya noted, “If Gurgaon continues on its current trajectory, the escalating heat and unchecked growth of air-conditioning will lead to a substantial rise in energy demand and emissions by 2050.”
“For implementation, collaboration among all civic agencies including HSIIDC, MCG, and the town and country planning department is crucial. There is a need to enhance the use of treated water, control greenhouse gas emissions, and align future development with climate goals,” said Subhash Yadav, conservator of forests for south Haryana, who initiated the plan during his tenure as additional CEO of GMDA.
The plan’s framework, built on an in-depth data-driven assessment, aims to position cooling as essential for urban resilience rather than merely a lifestyle choice. As of 2023, Gurgaon’s total cooling demand stands at 48.5 million gigajoules (GJ), with associated emissions of 7,035 ktCO₂ and a per capita cooling demand of 23.7 GJ.
What distinguishes this plan is its innovative methodology. Utilizing a machine-learning tool known as SPIBEAT, it accurately calculates real building volumes across three representative sectors: Sector 52A (residential), Sector 112 (mixed-use), and Sector 16 (commercial), resulting in an exceptionally detailed baseline for an Indian city.
Under the 2050 “business-as-usual” scenario, the plan warns of intensified heat waves, escalating urban heat islands, and a significant rise in cooling requirements for residential and commercial properties. Factors such as population growth, high-rise developments, and increasing income levels are anticipated to further enhance air-conditioning penetration, disproportionately increasing electricity demand and emissions.
The analysis reveals that interventions vary in effectiveness. Strengthening building envelopes (well-sealed structures) proves to be the most significant strategy, achieving up to a 68% reduction in energy use and cooling demand in residential and mixed-use buildings by 2050, with emissions decreasing by around 65% in the most ambitious scenarios. Additionally, implementing green roofs alongside floor cooling systems can reduce cooling demand by 53% in high-income residential areas and by 16–18% in mixed-use and commercial zones, with emissions potentially dropping as much as 63% in residential districts.
Conversely, merely transitioning to efficient HVAC systems generally yields modest benefits, typically resulting in 18–23% reductions in certain sectors. The report notes that the long-term gains from passive design far surpass the benefits of mechanical efficiency improvements. In particular, Sector 16, representing Gurgaon’s commercial heart, records the highest cooling load and emissions. Even with robust measures, reductions remain limited, showing that combined green roofs and efficient HVAC can only lower future cooling demand by 12–17%. The prevalence of sealed glass façades and deep-plan offices complicates efforts to improve efficiency, according to the report.
