Towards energy efficiency

Saving energy in residential places is assuming great importance. A few households claim they are ‘green’, implying that they use minimal energy to run their homes through alternate energy resources, such as solar energy. In a few places, solar power is used for lighting, heating and running electrical appliances, which is an exception rather than the rule.

However, use of solar power for water heating and lighting is fairly well established. In our country, windows are generally kept  open to facilitate light and ventilation. These should be well designed to allow maximum light and air circulation. Barring a few independent houses, the concept of having a ventilator at the top end of the wall is not applied in flats, as the height of the ceiling is not much. There is limited choice for an individual householder to generate his/her own energy needs as a back-up generator is not only costly but adds to the pollution. That means only solar energy is available to heat the water as well light up inside the house as well as outside.

However, much can be done by way of conservation of energy wherein every member of the household contributes by way of reducing energy consumption.