Tawanai

Although this article applies to the US architecture style, but this concept is something we all need to research and adopt. We cannot justify the century old ways we use to build our homes in Pakistan. Overall I think homes and offices are one the biggest consumers of energy and we need to make them efficient. Many times it does not take a huge effort or special technology, just common sense.

Via Wall Street Journal.

Here are five remodeling “future-proofing” tips experts recommend. Before you…

1. . . . Tear down sheetrock or take off siding.
Figure out where you can beef up insulation, particularly in exterior walls, basements and attics. Today there are multiple forms of insulation, many promoted as “green,” including soy-based foams, loose-fill cellulose (recycled newsprint) and denim. Go for the highest R-value (thermal resistance) — typically, the bigger the number, the better the insulation — you can afford and fit with proper installation.

Batt or blanket insulation is often cheapest; fiberglass is still widely used. The main drawback is that batts must be trimmed to fit around pipes and fixtures, leaving spaces susceptible to air leaks.

Loose-fill insulation made of fiberglass and cellulose can flow better around wires, pipes and other obstructions. Spray-in, expanding foam insulations do a particularly good job at this and don’t settle or sag over time, though are often pricier because of the materials’ high R-values. Many are urethane-based but some now substitute petroleum content with soybean material. “Fill the cavity any time a wall is open,” says Bruce Harley, author of “Insulate and Weatherize.”

Resources:

BioBased Insulation (www.biobased.net) and Soy Therm (www.soyol.com): soybean-based spray urethane foams with low or no VOCs.

air krete (www.airkrete.com): a lightweight spray foam made from cement, air and water, containing no CFCs or formaldehyde.

GreenFiber (www.greenfiber.com): a blow-in insulation made from 85% recycled-paper fiber.

SafeTouch (www.building.dow.com/na/safetouch): fiberglass-free batts made from non-irritating polyester fibers.

2. . . . Replace kitchen cabinets.
Inquire whether materials contain added urea formaldehyde, which is used in the adhesives of certain pressed-wood products, including those used to make kitchen cabinets. Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Institute recommends that “buyers should ask about the formaldehyde content” of such products.

The Formaldehyde Council Inc., a group of formaldehyde producers and users, says that at the low levels to which people are exposed there “is essentially no risk” and that formaldehyde-based products are harmless when used as directed. However, starting this year, California began regulating formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products sold in the state.

More mainstream wood-product manufacturers are adjusting product lines. Armstrong World Industries Inc. is developing a line of cabinetry boxes with no added formaldehyde.

Read more…

Conservation, Consumers, Energy, Green energy efficient homes

Air Commodore (Retd) Azfar A. Khan has written another post about renewable energy in Pakistan here at ATP. I have written about Wind energy projects in Pakistan. Azfar Khan presents views and evidence on how to make wind energy a local indigenous solution:

During one of my recent lectures on Wind Energy in one of the universities of the country, the same question was posed by a participant, “If we go for the wind energy option, we would be needing hundreds of wind turbines in order to make up for the shortfall of electricity. Why can’t we manufacture these turbines ourselves indigenously?” I replied, “Yes, we can, if there’s a will!” I further explained that we can’t expect the foreign manufacturers to provide these turbines to us as and when we need them due to the long lead time involved.

During my brief survey of the country’s existing manufacturing facilities, I got convinced that all the parts and components of the wind turbine could be easily manufactured indigenously.

Energy, Green, Pakistan, Renewable Energy, Wind

Both industries and consumers have been hit hard by the natural gas shortage. New connections for industrial areas have been tightly controlled over the last many months. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is planning to add 250 mcf per day additional gas in the system from June this year. The natural gas supply in Pakisan has significant problems of theft and other losses. Sui Gas company has large amounts unsetteled with Wapda and consumers as well.

The managing director of SNGPL said that company was trying to reduce line losses. Rs 1.5 billion have been allocated to reduce the losses up to 6 percent from the current level of 8 percent. The company was also trying to minimise gas pilferage as the government has been asked to enact law to award severe punishments to discourage gas theft which is currently 50 percent of total losses, he informed. Currently there is no effective legal act under which gas pilferage complaint is registered and culprits punished accordingly, he added.

Via Business Recorder.

Conservation, Energy, Gas

Pakistan media reports that Pakistan Electric Power Company’s (PEPCO) has not done a good job of explaining its point of view to banks and investors. National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) arranged a meeting of leading banks and DFIs on February 24, 2009 to discuss and finalise the syndication process for opening letters of credit and standby letters of credit for rental power projects which have been approved by the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet. During the meeting, Pepco officials were unable to articulate their position and could not convince the banks about their requirements, as reported by Business Recorder.

The banks also expressed reservations and concerns over the inability of Pepco to service the SBLCs, which are worth several hundred million dollars. Presidents and heads of corporate finance of leading banks and DFIs expressed annoyance over what Pepco presented in the meeting, and demanded more details of the projects before issuing SLBCs on behalf of the respective Gencos.

In related news, Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) on Monday received 10 bids for 1,191 MW of cumulative capacity, translating to around US$ 1.42 billion of investment. 15 parties procured the Request for Proposals (RFP) and 10 parties have submitted bids which include 57.81 MW premier energy proposed at Pasrur, 110 MW coal fired New Park energy proposed near Nooriabad, 170 MW Ruba Energy proposed at Batapur near Lahore, 73.92 MW Tapal Group Project proposed at Kamoki, 220 MW Reshma Power proposed at Narwala near Faisalabad, 100 MW Trimax Power proposed near Chakwal, 85 MW Sialkot Rental Power proposed at Sialkot, 170 MW MHK Energy proposed near Gujrat, 138 MW Radian Energy proposed at Pasrur, and 66 MW Grid Power Generation proposed at Mirpur Khas.

Consumers, Electricity, Energy, Pakistan