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Be Part of the Power-Saving Solution: Easy Ways Households Can Cut Down

Silver Tip by Kimshi

On Friday the Japanese government officially announced its 15% nationwide power reduction target for both industry and residences. Although it has just started to become warm, and we are enjoying the warmth after the cold, damp of winter- soon it will be unbearably hot!
Here are some ways to reduce your power consumption and survive the summer months ahead.
Japanese Government Recommendations for Household Energy Reduction

• Mid-day (10-4 is peak consumption) use of fans instead of air-conditioners to reduce consumption by 50%
• If using air-conditioning, raise the temperature 2C higher than usual =10% reduction in consumption
  
• Turn off all lights in the day & use only lights in occupied rooms at night =5%
• Unplug TV when not in use and reduce the bright screen setting =2%
• Set timer for the rice cooker to cook enough rice for the day before 8am =2%
• Turn off power at main switch, not by remote control Unplug all appliances not in use =2%
• Lower cooling level of refrigerator and freezer to lowest setting possible to retain normal functions =2%
• Unplug toilet heater, washlet (bidet) attachments =1%

 (Advice and Percentages from the Daily Yomiuri newspaper Sat, May 14, 2011)

Good Investments to Save Money and Greatly Reduce Energy Consumption

• Solar panels: You can reduce your electricity bills by over 100% with an investment in solar panels. The Japanese government has been helping residences invest in solar through government pay-back systems as well as guaranteed higher FIT (feed in tariff) rates of payment back for excess solar power generated and sold to the grid. A 3KwH system (usual size for family of 4) costs around 1,500,000 yen but after government pay-back schemes at the national and local levels, costs just over a million yen. (compare to 2 million in 2009). Although it seems a steep initial investment, unlike a car and other major purchases, it pays itself off in less than 5 years due to the generous FIT pay-back scheme.* Part of the set-up involves connecting the system to the electric grid. Solar companies will also help set customers who don't want to pay the amount outright up with loans (foreign residents too of course) if they want to pay the price of the panels off slowly. DeoDeo also became an agent for solar panels in most areas of Japan- many customers feel more comfortable setting it up with them. User-friendly Kyocera company has a good reputation for honesty and high-quality products among customers.
• Solar Water Heating Systems : Reduce your energy bills by more than 60%. Since apparently 60-70% of all energy consumption in a house is because of water heating for washing up, bathing,

  

  Solar Water Heater

  etc.. Solar water heating systems like those from Asahi solar and Chofu companies are a very economical investment (just over 200,000 yen / $2,400 USD). The initial investment is much cheaper than for a Solar Panel Electric System, but only supplies hot water, not electricity.
• Eco-cute: Reduce your energy bills by over 50% with an "eco-cute" water heating system that only heats up a home's hot water at night (when electricity is cheaper) and stores it in an insulated hot water unit. Once the hot water is used up, there is no more available until it is heated again for the following day. (We have a 5 year lease with Hitachi and pay 5,000 yen ($60 USD) per month). There are many similar products on the market recently. You can see the latest line-up and pricing at DeoDeo.
• Insulation: Many houses in Japan are built with very poor insulation, this is a problem for winter as well as summer. One of the biggest problems is through the roof (solar panels help insulate the roof a little), but one of the easiest and most economical ways to fix insulation is by adding another window in front of it. Called "In-Plus", it can be ordered directly from Tostem or DeoDeo as well as many other Reform remodeling companies in Japan. It costs around 30,000 yen (US $370) per window and at the moment you can get eco-points back from the purchase which reduces the cost by around 20%. Once the appointment is made, a rep comes and measures all the windows and gives an estimate, materials are ordered and a couple of weeks later workmen come and are able to install each window in around 20 minutes. Not only has it helped keep our rooms cooler (warmer in winter) but it has also significantly reduced noise. 
• LED light bulbs- to be honest, regular light bulbs should at least be taxed to make the LED's more
  competitive, most people don't invest in them because they are 10 times more expensive than conventional bulbs. They are however made to last more than 10x longer and save you money in energy use along the way. All new buildings should at least be fitted with the bulbs at outset as is policy in some countries and states in the US. 

 Other Summer ideas to make a home cooler, Save Electricity & Money

• Eco-monitor: In Japan, these only seem to be sold with solar systems at present to show how much energy is being used and generated on a digital display. Plug in versions which display a home's energy use for normal households is readily available from Amazon the US. It is a good way to see what appliances and household activity take the most energy in your home. You can also see the truth about energy savings if you increase the a/c temperature or compare other energy saving techniques.
• Bamboo window shades, blinds either inside or out. You can buy these bamboo shades in light or dark colors at most supermarkets, DIY shops and 100 yen shops in Japan. Hang outside windows about an arms-length out to allow the breeze to pass through the window in the shade created by the blind.

• Living green shades in front of windows: Grow Ivy, Morning Glory and other fast climbing plants outside your windows- water in the morning and evening and enjoy a heat reduction inside the house during the day.
• Hanging washing in front of the sunniest windows of the house. As the damp clothes dry, they will have a cooling affect on the inside of the house. If you do your clothes washing after 8pm or before 8am, you will save money as these times have discounted electricity rates in most areas.
• Paddling pools- whether it's you sat with your feet cooling in the pool in a shady place next to your house, or the kids splashing around- it's a great way to cool down on a hot day. 
• As everyone is trying to meet targets and stay cool without using air-conditioning, we are bound to be inundated with "cool" everything in stores soon. Already, advertising for "cool" pillows, sheets, futons, clothes and shoe inserts can be seen in most stores.

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* Compare average annual electricity bills for normal family of 4 in a house before solar panels were installed in 2008: 360,000 yen to less than 60,000 yen per year with solar panels. As the costs of electricity are expected to climb, the difference in savings will be much more impressive. (After 5 years without solar: 1,800,000+ / After 5 years with solar: 300,000)
Read On
Japan Photo Blog: why Japanese houses are made without insulation
AccessJ: Insulation ideas for the home: bubble wrap and tape for covering draft
SCCJ: Insulated houses using styles from abroad becoming popular in Japan

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