No power bills for this Philippine sun-powered eco-house

MANILA, Philippines—At a glance, it looks like any other one-bedroom model house. Inside is no different for within this 53-sq-m abode are the usual household appliances and furniture, including an air-con.
There is some good ideas of those of us who want to go green and save the environment and maybe another Philippine Bargain.

THE ECO-JAO Bahay Kubo employs several technologies that enable its occupants to live “off-grid.”
But there is nothing ordinary about the Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo that was exhibited at the recently concluded Construction Show Manila (ManilaCon) 2009 in Pasay City.
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Its solar panels on the roof power all its lights as well as a number of appliances while solar heaters provide the hot water. It also has a cistern that gathers rain water that could be used for flushing the toilet, washing or watering plants while its walls, floors, frames and posts are made from sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood products.
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“What I would like to prove here is that you don’t need to be rich or famous to be able to afford a sustainable and ecologically friendly house. Who knows, the Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo could be the beginning of a trend that would someday change the way we live here in the Philippines,” said its designer, architect and interior designer James Jao.
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The Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo is so relevant these days especially since electricity is becoming too expensive for middle-income families, he said.
“One should realize that the purchase of electricity is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions, the gas largely blamed for global warming,” he said.
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Carbon-neutral house
But what is more interesting about the Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo is the fact that this P1.5-million detached unit may be regarded as the Philippines’ first example of a carbon-neutral house—the amount of carbon dioxide it generates daily is offset by its use of conservation techniques and of recyclable / reusable / biodegradable building materials and renewable energy source.
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“The Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo employs several technologies that enable its occupants to live ‘off-grid,’” Jao said.
“Materials like PVC/carbon fiber roofing, thermally insulated walls, large double-glazed, low-emissivity (reflecting solar radiation) windows, light-colored interior and high ceiling work together to cool the house during hot and humid days,” he said.
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What would these innovations mean to an average middle-income family?
“Just like in car racing, the goal is to achieve the top performance that the household members get from a house. This involves lowering a family’s energy expenses—from cooking, lighting, cooling and running different sorts of appliances—without sacrificing life’s comforts,” Jao said.
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Mission
Since he completed his bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Santo Tomas and master’s degree in city design and social science at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Jao has promised himself to one day help every middle-income family live in an ecologically sound home.
“It’s not very easy to do this initially since not many see the significance of sustainable living. Also, the materials I was seeking were still too expensive or not yet available here in the local market,” Jao said.
Last year, Jao teamed up with LA Ducut and Co., the organizers of ManilaCon, and was able to build and display his first eco-house—named LuzViMinda—during an exhibit at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
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“Considering our group’s advocacy for green and sustainable building, Jao’s eco-house exemplifies what we are campaigning for years through our yearly exhibit,” said Lilibeth Ducut-Abais, managing director of LA Ducut and Co.
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Abais said that after the exhibit last year, the 121-sq-m LuzViMinda was disassembled and transported to Bulusan, Sorsogon, where it was rebuilt for its new balikbayan owner.
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Innovative products
“Since then, so many innovative products have become available locally and [these were] incorporated in this year’s version of the eco-house,” Jao said.
He described the Eco-Jao Bahay Kubo as a modern example of Filipino architecture, featuring a shaded veranda that helps keep natural air to freely circulate and allow sunlight to easily penetrate the house’s interior.
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“Apart from the comforts that one may be able to enjoy, the owner of this type of eco-house would be able to recoup his investment in just five years,” Jao said.
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He said a developer or home builder constructing say, six to 12 units, could lower the cost of each unit since the developer may be able to build a single energy source that could be shared.
He said he was fortunate to be part of the annually held ManilaCon, as he was able to impart his concept to a wider audience.
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Original posting here http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090922-226372/No-power-bills-for-this-sun-powered-eco-house

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Make the switch or ban the bulb? Green Philippines

At the recent kick-off of the government’s campaign to make the Philippines incandescent bulb-free by 2010, about 2,000 poor households in Manila’s Tondo district received free energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in exchange for their incandescent bulbs.


About 13 million more CFLs will be distributed nationwide in the coming months under the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP), made possible through a loan agreement between the Asian Development Bank and our government.

PEEP also calls for a change in government office buildings and public lighting systems, create a lamp waste management facility, establish an energy service company that will provide financial and technical support to companies planning to reduce energy consumption, and initiate a ‘green building’ rating system.

In addition, ADB is working on a carbon credit purchase agreement with the Philippine government. The program is seen to reduce national carbon dioxide emissions by 300,000 tons a year, allowing the Philippines to receive approximately 300,000 tons of certified emission reduction (carbon market) credits annually.

Undeniable benefits
Incandescent bulbs, in the version that Thomas Edison designed, has been replaced by CFLs in terms of energy efficiency. While there are questions to the luminescence claims of some CFL manufacturers, the savings on fuel costs cannot be denied.

The country’s “Switch to CFL” campaign, considered the first of its kind in Asia, will save the country P5 billion in fuel costs each year. Each incandescent bulb replaced by a CFL is touted to save as much as P4,000 worth of electricity.

Incandescent bulbs are known to use only 20 percent of the electricity to produce light, while the remaining 80 percent is wasted as heat. In contrast, CFLs use most of their electricity input to produce light. An average incandescent lamp’s life is only about 800 hours, while high-quality CFLs that will be used in the campaign will have a life of 10,000 hours, with a two-year warranty.
Resistance to switching

Even with all the benefits stated above, the switch to CFLs has encountered resistance especially among low-income households because of its higher replacement cost. A 100-watt incandescent bulb would only cost around P20, while a CFL would range from P100 to P200, depending on the wattage.

The modern CFL design has been with the world since the 1973 oil crisis, but only recently had mass manufacturing designs and techniques been able to bring down unit costs to substantially more affordable levels, although still on the high side.

Because of the CFL’s marked reduction in energy use, the push to implement a ban on incandescent bulb use has been gaining popularity. Europe and Australia have already announced a ban on incandescent in 2010. Canada is also working to ban the bulb next year.
The Philippines has expressed its intention to join the 2010 bandwagon but has yet to demonstrate political will in actually moving forward the proposed initiative.

Health and environment concerns
Not everything is rosy with CFLs though. Environmentalists are critical of the mercury found in it. About 1.5 mg to 5 mg of mercury, a highly toxic pollutant, is found inside the glass tubing. If the glass is broken, environmentalists contend this will make its way in the air and water.

Many countries are still grappling with the issue of CFL disposal, but if this is properly handled, the threat of mercury escaping to the environment could be avoided. Mercury is a known neurotoxin that can cause kidney and brain damage.

The energy department should start an information campaign on how best to handle used bulbs, even if they estimate the lifespan of those that have been given away – and will be distributed – to go beyond 2015. Read original article here http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=511186&publicationSubCategoryId=66

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