#948 Can Better Buildings Cut India’s Energy Bills By Up To 40%? | Govindraj Ethiraj | The Core Report

Can better buildings cut India’s energy bills by up to 40%? Saint-Gobain Asia Pacific and India Region CEO Sreedhar N joins Govindraj Ethiraj to explain how energy-efficient buildings, insulation and sustainable construction could transform India’s energy use.As India’s construction and infrastructure boom accelerates, Saint-Gobain is betting on better buildings, climate-resilient infrastructure and energy efficiency while planning to invest more than ₹10,000 crore in India over the next five years.In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Sreedhar explains why India needs to rethink how homes, offices, airports, roads and other infrastructure are built. He discusses how insulation, gypsum, glass, mineral wool and construction chemicals can improve energy efficiency, thermal comfort, durability and safety.Saint-Gobain says some new-construction use cases have demonstrated energy bill reductions of up to 40%. Sreedhar also argues that wider use of insulation could significantly reduce energy demand in Indian buildings.The conversation explores the economics of sustainable construction, why poor waterproofing and corrosion can shorten the life of buildings and infrastructure, and how better materials could make India’s cities more resilient to heat, flooding and extreme weather.Govindraj and Sreedhar also discuss Saint-Gobain’s 82 manufacturing plants in India, its expansion into construction chemicals and infrastructure solutions, and the growing role India could play as a manufacturing and export base for Asia Pacific, Australia and the Middle East.The discussion also looks at how Saint-Gobain has decentralised its global operations, reduced dependence on cross-border supply chains and adapted to a world shaped by tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty and shifting trade patterns.Can energy-efficient buildings help India cut electricity consumption? Why does insulation matter so much for Indian homes? And could sustainable construction become one of the next big opportunities in India’s manufacturing and infrastructure story?Chapters:01:06 What Saint-Gobain Makes for India05:10 How Climate Change Is Changing Construction06:18 Which Saint-Gobain Brand Is the Game Changer?11:25 What Is India Doing That Others Should Copy?13:20 What Are They Building in the Lab?14:47 Why Sustainable Buildings Must Also Be Resilient18:59 Can New Buildings Avoid Mumbai’s Old Problems?20:16 Can Our Infrastructure Survive Extreme Weather?23:18 What Makes an Airport Climate-Resilient?24:37 Can Gypsum Replace Concrete in Construction?26:21 Saint-Gobain’s Next-Generation Building Technology28:11 Why Saint-Gobain Goes Beyond Construction29:52 Will Saint-Gobain Expand Beyond Construction?32:01 Is India Becoming a Saint-Gobain Export Hub?33:38 What It’s Like to Be a CFO Among Engineers36:37 How Tariffs Are Changing Global BusinessWatch the full conversation with Sreedhar N, CEO for Asia Pacific and India at Saint-Gobain, and Govindraj Ethiraj on The Core Report Weekend Edition.Can better buildings cut India’s energy bills by up to 40%? Saint-Gobain CEO Sreedhar N explains how energy-efficient buildings, insulation and sustainable construction could reshape India’s energy use, construction, infrastructure and manufacturing. Watch how climate-resilient infrastructure and better building materials could become India’s next big growth opportunity.#EnergyEfficiency #SustainableConstruction #IndiaInfrastructure #SaintGobain #Manufacturing #TheCoreReport #TheCore