The house that me and my wife bought will be ready within a year or so. I've started to plan how actually to furnish the house but at the same time trying to become environmental friendly. I have to admit though that owning a house itself isn't environmental friendly. Forests need to be cleared to make way for development, almost all of the building materials come from natural resources and process of building the house will somehow pollute the earth. But this is what we have to pay in the name of development. Still we need a roof over our head.
Here are a few thoughts:
1. I guess the easiest way of being environmental friendly is during the house selection process itself. Either you call it feng shui or common sense, the layout of the house is important though. Select a house that is not facing sunset. The idea is for your house not to be too hot in the evening. When the house is hot, it will require more energy to cool it. If you are using air-cond, the air-cond will have to work extra hard. If you are only using fans, perhaps you will not need a fan to cool your house if your house is facing the right direction.
2. Few criteria of your house would also determine whether you will need extra cooling requirements. Some say, selecting a house made of clay instead of sand bricks will help keep your house cooler. There might be some truth in this since we do see ancient people build their house from clay in some parts of the world. Having a high ceiling would also help air circulation in your house. The higher the ceiling is, the further heat from sunlight will have to travel to reach you. Hence, keeping you cool.
3. Selecting environmental friendly household appliances is also one of the main criteria. For this, I'm thinking of scouting for the energy efficient appliances based on rating by Singapore's National Environment Agency. Although currently there are only a few appliances with rating available, I believe the list will grow as time goes by. Some of the appliances might not be available in Malaysia, but at least there's a guideline on this.
4. I guess the single most important thing that could go a long way in helping the environment is not to install air-conditioner in your house. Air-cond has become a necessity in our modern lives but I do believe we still can cope without air-cond. For me, having fans is just as good. The amount of energy used to operate an air-cond is enormous. Just look at the electricity bills of houses with air-cond. I bet they are more than RM100 every month. Not to mention the gasses used which is said to be harmful towards the environment. Not installing an air-cond means energy saved all around. So think before you install one.
5. If let say you still insist on having air-conds, please don't install them at your living or dining rooms. Keep them minimum in the bedrooms. The reason is because, for a typical Malaysian house, living and dining area are technically not rooms. They don't have their own enclosed area. They are basically a "huge room" only called differently on the layout plan. If an air-cond is installed at these areas, the air-cond will need to cool the entire "huge room". There is no enclosure keeping the temperature down within that particular area. Hence, the air-cond is working extra hard in cooling those areas. This means more energy used and more money out of your pocket. And for a double storey house, the cooling effect from the dining or living room will be felt up till the family area above. Just imagine how big of a room the air-cond is actually cooling.
6. Another idea that crosses my mind is having a solar panel for water heater. I've did some enquiry and generally the price of buying and installing the solar panel water heater is around RM5,000. If let say you spend RM30 per month on electricity bill for water heater, it will take your approximately 14 years to recoup your investment on the solar panel. Besides that, you will get some tax relief from the government when you invest in green technology. This is certainly something to ponder upon.
If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to leave them in the comments section. Perhaps it could be useful to me and others.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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3 comments:
congratulation for owning your first house.Beli rumah kat area mana? i bet a few more houses is already at the back of your mind for investment.another way of using less energy for your water heater is using a tank type water heater . It uses less energy as the heated water is stored in a tank so when the water is already hot it will auto shut and store the heated water in a tank . It will cost you around 1200 c/w installation compare to 600 for the normal instant water heater.
congratulation for owning your first house.Beli rumah kat area mana? i bet a few more houses is already at the back of your mind for investment.another way of using less energy for your water heater is using a tank type water heater . It uses less energy as the heated water is stored in a tank so when the water is already hot it will auto shut and store the heated water in a tank . It will cost you around 1200 c/w installation compare to 600 for the normal instant water heater.
another way in cooling your house is by using a special type of external paint which will reflect the heat back.there are a special type of roof clay tile also which the manufacturer claim can reflect the heat from the sunrays.installing a ventilator at your rooftop also helps with the cooiling.
I guess everything goes back to dollar and sense and how you are willing to part with it for the sake of the environment
tank type water heater is certainly an option. but it still uses electircity. that might be considered because of its cost. for ventilator, im really not a fan of it. i cant really feel the difference with or without it. thanks for your suggestions.
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