The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is planning to encourage the concept of Green Buildings. It will offer tax incentives for setting up of rooftop solar installations for heating and power back up and water harvesting facilities.
The Commissioner of GHMC, Mr M.T.Krishna Babu, said the Government Order No. 86, which covers common building rules, seeks to offer 10 per cent concession on property tax for buildings for deploying solar systems, and another 10 per cent for building water harvesting systems.
Speaking at the Fapcci meeting hosted to discuss energy saving initiatives, Mr Krishna Babu said tax rebate is a big saving for commercial buildings like the Park Hotel or Taj Krishna. They typically pay about Rs 2.5-3 crore per annum towards property tax, and if they are able to save 20 per cent it is big.
The Government has proposed a city level impact fee rebate for Green buildings. This is aimed at encouraging developing green homes and seeking certification.
Power
Referring to power consumption, the Commissioner said Hyderabad consumes about 48 million units a day, which is about 2000 mw of power generation capacity. The Government is keen to ensure that the energy consumption is brought down by about 20 per cent using energy saving devices and encouraging setting up of solar energy units on rooftops.
A study has been commissioned by AP Central Power Distribution Company Ltd (APCPDL) by engaging the services of KPMG. The focus is on encouraging energy savings. This could have direct bearing on the overall power bill as those who save would be given rebates, he said.
Those having rooftop solar plants would have the option to trade excess power generated by them. This is seen to encourage developers to set up solar plants on rooftops whose cost of installation is coming down, he said.