Low energy living

As summer tortures us with strangulating heat, the shutdown of gas pipelines in Myanmar earlier this month threw the whole nation into panic. The campaign for energy saving is running into conflict because air conditioning is as necessary as the air itself, but conservation starts at home, and we talk to three people who believe it's still possible to do our bit to reduce energy consumption

A GREEN HOME

- ANCHALEE KONGRUT

What do we do when the heat strangles us? Easy. To cool off and save electricity bills, residents of Bangkok flock to shopping malls to enjoy a free air-conditioned environment.

But for Decharut Sukkumnoed's family, the coolest place in the hot season is their home. They call it Bann Thipdhamma, built three years ago on 1 rai in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi.

"Our home is the best place to stay away from the scorching sun. We do not have to turn on the air conditioner and sometimes we do not switch on the fans," said Decharut, a lecturer on economics at Kasetsart University and an expert in renewable energy.

As clean energy becomes a new mantra and everyone seems to sing the same tune about energy conservation, Decharut walks the talk, experimenting with the low-energy consumption lifestyle and documenting his activities on decharut.blogspot.com.

After researching renewable energy and the energy policy of Thailand for more than a decade, Decharut decided to use the energy-saving home blueprint issued by the Energy Policy & Planning Office (EPPO), the state think tank under the Ministry of Energy, to build his first home.

The blueprint gives design guidelines to homeowners with relation to the direction of wind and sun. It also provides recommendations on materials that reduce energy consumption.

For his home, Decharut placed "shields" _ trees, bathroom, storage room or stairs _ facing westwards to block and filter the heat and sunlight in the afternoons.

The living room and dining room, which are frequently used, face east. The front of the home faces south, so cross ventilation through the property is easy. To facilitate the winds passing through the house, a vent was placed near the roof. The bedrooms faced north, and to protect them from the heat, Decharut used foam shields to prevent overheated walls and roofs.

However, building energy-saving homes in Thailand comes with certain challenges.

"Thailand is not only hot but also humid. So houses must be built to avoid sunlight and also to induce plenty of wind and ventilation to avoid the excessive use of air conditioners," said Decharut.

A low-energy lifestyle also needs conducive ecology. A large-size pond was dug for the family of four to raise fish and help drain water in the monsoons. Tress and plants _ 56 species altogether _ were planted around the house to provide shade, cool down the heat and absorb greenhouse gas emissions.

Decharut also installed solar cell panels on the roof to heat water. Heat from the panels is used for baking certain dishes such as dried fish and dried beef.

Well designed for energy conservation and shrouded in trees, Decharut's home does away with air conditioners, and even electric fans. Needless to say, his electricity bill is half of what a normal household would be. A normal family of five in a similar space usually consumes from 300-700 electric units monthly. His uses only 300 units.

Decharut, however, aims higher. The economist has calculated the carbon emission rate for his home and found that the rate for each family member is 8 tonnes a year, or 2 tonnes less than the average of Bangkok resident. However, an average Thai, such as a farmer, generates only 3 tonnes of emissions per head each year.

Sources of emissions in our daily life come from our transportation. Five tonnes of emissions come from cars while our home create only 3 tonnes of emissions. Decharut planted trees to offset emissions he and his family members generated. Other activities such as planting their own vegetables for cooking, recycling and reusing garbage also help in reducing carbon output.

Rain or shine, hot or cold, Decharut, 45, believes people can always reduce electricity consumption.

He believes the latest energy crisis comes from a lack of given choices and myths that the authorities need to build more power plants in order to solve the blackout problem.

"The recent energy crisis has taught us a valuable lesson," Decharut said.

"The authority threatens with blackouts, due to the unusually high demand of electricity. But the crisis brought out small power producers, who provide clean energy.

"Our industrial sectors can also help cut down electricity consumption by adjusting their production schedules. Building more power plants is not the only option."

In late March, factories such as those of SCG (Siam Cement Group) rescheduled production times to reduce electricity consumption during the peak of summer. At the same time, the state electricity utility decide to buy more renewable energy generated by small power producers _ factories or individuals that produce electricity from farm waste or other sources such as solar energy.

Meanwhile, statewide energy conservation also shaved off electricity consumption without any difficulty.

"Energy conservation is a matter of choice. I chose to build my home according to energy conservation principles. But society may not have the same choices," Decharut said.

Yet the authorities can do more to help people lead a low-energy consumption lifestyle. For example, the authorities should impose an energy conservation regulation on real estate developers and insist that houses are built with saving energy ideas in mind.

Countries with consistent energy conservation, such as Denmark and Germany, have regulations forcing house builders to use design and materials that consume less energy. Decharut believes low-energy living isn't that hard. Simple acts can be regular cleaning of air conditioners, recycling, growing your own vegetables or using public transport.

FUN WITH THE SUN

- KONG RITHDEE

Eighteen years ago when Chankit Chamniwikaipong said that he wanted to install solar panels on the roof of his new house _ not for back-up but main usage _ he was met with a unanimous reaction.

"People looked at me as if I was crazy," he recalls. "I was so surprised. Everyone involved with the construction of my house _ from the engineer, the architect, and especially the electricians _ they tried to persuade me not to do it because it's expensive. But I didn't get it. Aren't we living in the equatorial zone and sunshine is what we have more than most countries?"

Chankit insisted. So when his three-storey house near Rama IX Park was finished, there were 10 solar panels on the roof, diligently trapping tropical sunlight and chemically transforming it into electricity. Later, he added more panels: now he has 22, and they power around 60% of his household demand. Last month when the country was in a panic prior to the temporary shutdown of the gas pipelines in Myanmar that was expected to disrupt the supply of electricity to Thailand, Chankit _ a man with a conservationists mind, though he hates to be called an environmentalist _ was allowed a deserved sense of schadenfreude.

''I told my sons that they didn't have to worry. In the worst case if the electricity is cut off, our house would still be illuminated, our computers and televisions would continue to work. We would still live a normal life as long as there's the Sun,'' he says. ''Look, we are so vulnerable that if a few gas pipes somewhere far away are shut off, the whole country is thrown into panic. And this isn't the first time. It makes me wonder why people looked at me as if I was crazy when I wanted to use solar power. What were they thinking?''

The main reason everyone tried to talk Chankit out of using solar cells was the cost. The initial investment of installing a solar power system was high then _ and remains so now. Each solar panel costs around 10,000 baht (the price was almost double a decade ago) and you'll also need to have a converter, a set of batteries to store the power, as well as a regulator to stabilise the current.

Like most big investments, it will take many years before the initial cost pays off. Chankit says the solar power helps him save around 30% of his electricity bill each month; right now, most of what racks up in the bill comes from the five air-con units in his house.

But for him, the whole idea isn't about financial savings.

''The solar power saves me some money every month, though admittedly not much. But I decided to use the solar cells in the first place not because I wanted to save money _ I did it because I thought we should do our part in energy conservation. Yes, it needs an initial investment, but we need to start somewhere, right? I just think that this is what I can do.

''Every morning, you go to the bathroom to brush your teeth. How many lamps do you need for that? One. At night, every house switches on a lamp at the gate, again, it's just one light bulb. Surely solar power can supply you with that small demand, and it's a small thing I believe I can contribute.''

Chankit's household has seven members, with several televisions, computers and air conditioners. Most rooms in the house have switches that either draw power from his solar cells or from regular, state-powered cables; Chankit marks the difference by coloured stickers. Usually, his family members opt for the solar cell switches and electric sockets first _ unless it's an overcast day or in the rainy season, when the batteries can't store much wattage, or when it happens that the room doesn't have a solar-powered switch.

''There's usually a blackout in my neighbourhood. It has always happened since I moved here almost 20 years ago,'' says Chankit, who's also been a bicycle enthusiast for over a decade. ''When that happens, I like to come out of my house and look around at the dark soi and all the dark houses. Only my house is still brightly lit. It's a small victory for me.

''We complain a lot about the rising cost of electricity, but that's inevitable. There are more and more people in the world and we compete for limited natural resources. The only natural resource that we have plenty is the Sun. We'll keep complaining and feeling panic, unless we start doing something.''

A HEATED DEBATE

- ANCHALEE KONGRUT

Thitinant ''Noon'' Sristhita, environmentalist and environmental author, believes that people should practice what they preach.

Throughout the year, Noon uses electric fans and avoids turning on air conditioners. Despite owning a car, she uses all kinds of mass transit when she can _ bus, subway, skytrain, motorcycle taxis or even taxis _ to reduce consumption of fossil fuel and control her monthly expenses.

But the suffocating heat in the summer makes it all intolerable. Recently, Noon had to turn on the air conditioner for a few hours every day, which is unusual for her.

Summer is the hardest time to campaign for energy conservation.

''It is no longer about conscience. It is about extreme physical inconvenience. How can you tell people to turn off air conditioners and to tolerate the heat when they cannot sleep properly because the temperature is so high and the weather is so hot,''said Noon, referring to her family, who turn on air conditioners at night as their home is between buildings, which blocks ventilation.

But there are many ways to save energy _ ways that might go beyond turning off the air conditioner, building an energy saving home or installing solar panels on rooftops. For Noon, many activities can generate energy consumption, and energy conservation.

''I would say I think of food in terms of transportation, getting from where they are grown to where they are sold,'' said Noon. Eating plants required less energy and fuel than meat that need more feedstock to grow. Consuming local food is energy conservation and reducing carbon emissions because these foods require less fossil fuels for transportation than imported food.''

Drinking room temperature water means less dependence on a refrigerator, ice-making industry and chemical substances refrigerators need. Recycling water from dish washing means less work for electric pumps, not to mention water conservation and lower water utility bills.

For her, it is always possible to save energy any time of year when people look at their energy in terms of energy consumption and conservation.

''Believe it or not, I usually wear shirts with patterns,''she said about her ''low-energy fashion choice''. Shirts with patterns are very suitable for summer.

''A patterned shirt does not show that the shirt was not ironed. So I can save time, electricity and stay away from heat by not having to iron my shirt during summer,'' she said.