Fighting global warming on the 'home front'

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 11/29/2006 12:47 PM | Jakarta

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Keep the idea of solar cells or photovoltaic technology on hold, simpler and cheaper strategies for reducing energy consumption could start in the home.

If prevention is better than cure in medicine, in the case of creating environmentally friendly homes, good planning is better than spending more on energy-saving electronic goods.

Some people might turn to blessedly cool air-conditioning or keep their ceiling fans whirling with all their might.

But some studies suggest that turning on the air-conditioning might make global warming worse.

Air-conditioners use refrigerants to carry heat between the indoor and outdoor units, many of which impact the ozone layer if released into the atmosphere.

""A lot of architects design homes that need to be air-conditioned. In fact, it is possible to marry good design with minimal environmental impact,"" Tri Harso Karyono, building physics researcher at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), said Monday.

The first rule is orientation.

""The length of the house should face north or south to avoid direct sun exposure. Meanwhile, the east-west axis is best for service areas like the kitchen or bathroom,"" he said.

It is also best for homes in the tropics to have a ""thin"" layout, in which the distance between the front and rear walls is no more than eight meters wide.

As effective as these strategies may be at reducing energy demand, such ideally positioned houses are not always available.

In such cases, cross ventilation is the key to allow better air flow.

A design solution for homes in crowded areas without enough space for a backyard, a feature that would allow the best cross ventilation, is to build an inner courtyard.

""Courtyards allow both better air flow as well as sunlight penetration,"" Tri Harso said.

Other important keys for creating thermal comfort are building thick walls that insulate the interior from the heat, and using interior and exterior colors that reflect energy from the sun rather than absorbing it.

Planting trees also provides environmental benefits.

""Trees are essential elements in creating a moderate micro-climate, while for the pavement, grass blocks provide a better level of water absorption than asphalt or cement,"" he said.

Eco-friendly and energy-efficient houses also depend on how aware residents are of the need for energy conservation.

A best practice was implemented more than two decades ago in Japan, where its government created an energy-saving standard for housing estates and public buildings.

The standard regulates home utility construction details like an integrated heating system, efficient air conditioning, ventilation and lighting.

There are also tax incentives for developers who build energy-efficient and eco-friendly residences.

Such a strategy has resulted in a 20 percent drop in residential energy consumption.

For Jakarta's cash-strapped growing middle-class, the choices are very limited.

Not many eco-friendly homes are being built in the city, while the high cost of green products makes them a tough sell.

Households and industries in Greater Jakarta consume some 50 percent of electricity produced by state power firm PLN, World Wide Fund for Nature campaigner Muhamad Suhud said.

Indonesian power plants burn fossil fuel, producing carbon dioxide emissions, which fuel global warming.

With many consumers still reliant on cheaper, energy-guzzling electronic goods, a power crisis is surely looming.

According to the Indonesian Lighting Producers Association, of this year's total production output of 968 million lamps, only 35 million fell into the category of energy-saving.

Some of the cheaper products available here, mostly Chinese made, are labeled with energy-saving or eco-friendly stickers, but there are no standard checks to confirm their promised performance.

National Standardization Body head Iman Sudarwo explained that the country's electronic goods standards were aimed at ensuring safety.

""Later on, we will focus on energy efficiency. But, right now, we just don't have the resources,"" Iman said.

""Furthermore, if the standards were applied now, it would indirectly hamper the market as our purchasing power is still low.

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