Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Money / Personal Finance/  When not paying your electricity bills is good
BackBack

When not paying your electricity bills is good

Solar panels can help you enjoy free power after 2-5 years, depending on your bills
  • With systems like solar heaters and solar power panels, you can avoid the cost of active maintenance
  • Public policy professional Prasanto K. Roy owns India’s first certified green home located in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area. (Ramesh Pathania/Mint)Premium
    Public policy professional Prasanto K. Roy owns India’s first certified green home located in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area. (Ramesh Pathania/Mint)

    It has been over a year since Surat-based Dipak Patil, 39, last paid his electricity bill. But Patil is not a defaulter, he is a beneficiary of the solar campaign in his city, under which more than 6,000 rooftop solar plants were installed as of May 2019. The government also offered subsidies to encourage homeowners to install the systems. “I had a 2KW rooftop solar system installed, and since then, I haven’t had to pay my electricity bill," said Patil, who is an electrical engineer.

    Although Patil has always been conservative about how much energy he uses, the regular lighting load of the house, fans, two air conditioners, a refrigerator and a pump are well supplied by the rooftop panels. “After the deduction of subsidies, I paid around 72,000 for the 2KW system I had installed," said Patil, whose electricity bill was an average of 2,500 every two months. He installed air conditioners after the rooftop solar system was put in place, so his electricity bills did not factor in the additional usage. But even considering his earlier annual electricity bill payments of around 15,000, Patil will recover his costs in around five years, and enjoy free energy afterwards.

    Solar power is just one aspect of building an environmentally sustainable or “green" home. Green homes focus on the efficient use of energy, water and building materials, and maximize the available resources. Most of these methods are not only good for the environment, but can also help save money over the long term.

    Small changes

    If you already own a home and want to make small changes to make the structure more energy efficient, you have several options, including the one that Patil exercised—of getting solar panels installed.

    Simple changes like making the roof and outer walls of a home reflective can keep the interiors cooler and reduce the need for artificial cooling, according to Nilanjan Bhowal, principal architect, Design Consortium, an architectural firm. Bhowal was the architect behind the construction of India’s first certified green home, Green One, in Delhi’s posh Chittaranjan Park, owned by Prasanto K. Roy, 53, a public policy professional. “For an existing structure, using white tiles or even painting your rooftop white can boost insulation. You can also insulate your roof by putting in a layer of thermocol or a false ceiling," he said. Bhowal also recommends the use of energy-efficient fixtures like LEDs, five-star rated appliances and photo sensitive lights or motion sensors to switch lights on and off automatically.

    Maintenance is another factor to keep in mind when putting in energy-efficient systems. “With the commercialization of sustainability, everyone is pushing for systems, but sustainability is about maintenance-free systems. The more actively your system needs to be maintained, the higher the costs will be, so there is a need to return to passive systems," said Akash Deep, senior programme manager, GRIHA Council. GRIHA is the green buildings rating and certification system for green building adopted by the government and has been developed by The Energy Resources Institution (TERI). Green One is TERI-certified.

    Patil’s rooftop solar system is immune to this problem and there are no extra costs attached. “It barely needs any maintenance. It needs to be cleaned periodically, but it’s a basic task and I do it myself," he said. Passive systems like solar heating and solar power systems can help boost energy efficiency without the need for active maintenance.

    View Full Image
    (Santosh Sharma/Mint)


    Design is key

    While there are ways to make an existing home energy efficient, it’s usually easier to build a green home from scratch. “In the case of existing buildings, it mostly involves the use of retrofit equipment that is more energy efficient. It is not as comprehensive as that for a new construction since factors like structure and construction material can’t be altered," said Santhosh Ramkumar, senior project officer, GRIHA Council.

    Bhowal agrees. “It’s much easier to incorporate energy efficiency features when constructing a new home. You can use construction materials like autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks, which are energy efficient because they trap heat. Design features that can boost your home’s energy efficiency include avoiding south west facing windows and openings, which can absorb too much heat. Balconies should have deep overhangs to stay shaded against the sun, and double glazed panes can be used for windows," he said. All of this can keep the home naturally cool, reducing your need for artificial cooling.

    When constructing a home, people look for value-for-money options. This often makes them steer clear of making environmentally conscious choices. But, according to Akash Deep, “Design plays an important role in constructing a green home, and this is where the costs can be managed." “On an average, a five-star rated green home costs around 10% more to build than a regular building. It takes only three to four years to recover the costs. There was a time when these technologies were very expensive, but with many players entering the market, these costs have come down," said Bhowal.

    GRIHA Council developed a simulation named PRAROOP in 2017 to demonstrate how much of a cost difference it would make to construct a green building as compared to a conventional building. “We used a base case of 30 years, and showed that the amount invested can be recovered easily over the lifetime of the building," said Ramkumar. This simulation can help assess the cost and energy efficiency factors.

    Dream green home

    Roy, owner of Green One, was always interested in buying a green property. “But the builders I met had little clue about what a green building meant," he said. So when he inherited a property in Chittaranjan Park, he decided to rebuild it as a green home.

    Roy was inspired by the ITC green centre built in 2001 close to his office in Gurgaon. “The building was the world’s largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum-rated green office building. I was keen to see whether it could be replicated in a home," said Roy. LEED is one of the most popular green building certification programmes used globally. The construction of Roy’s home, was completed in 2013.

    “We used AAC blocks for all the outer walls and low-impact materials, some of which were reused. Low energy electronics were used, as well as LED lights and motion sensors," he said.

    The home also has solar panels on the rooftop, solar thermal heating, water recycling and rainwater harvesting systems, as well as ultra-low-flow water fixtures.

    But Roy warns against expecting a green home to automatically lower consumption and expenses. “You can’t just move into a green building and expect your costs to go down. You also need to alter your lifestyle accordingly. For instance, I am used to keeping my air conditioners at 29 degrees, which is perfectly comfortable when the temperature outside is over 30 degrees. This significantly lowers power consumption compared to keeping it at say 18 degrees," said Roy.

    Certified green

    TERI GRIHA certification is granted after several audits, which ensure building standards, especially when a green home is bought from a builder. It also boosts the value of residential properties.

    Roy and his friend, actor Gul Panag, who wanted to build a green farmhouse in Mulshi, Maharashtra, approached GRIHA Council to find out more about registration and certification for green buildings. While GRIHA does not exclude residential homes, it could cost as much as 5 lakh. After discussions with Roy and Panag, TERI officials decided to put in place the SVAGRIHA system, which is a simplified rating and audit process for green homes.

    “Green One became one of the first pilot projects under the system," said Roy. Panag too was able to construct her home according to TERI guidelines. “Our home in Mulshi was one of the early pioneering residences in the area to follow the guidelines of GRIHA," she said, adding, “Green homes are the way of the future because not only are they important in the broader context of sustainable living, but also reduce operating costs and increase the value of the property."

    If you are keen to help the environment, you can do your bit by making small alterations to the current structure of your house as well as your lifestyle. If you have the wherewithal of building a green home, keep in mind that certification is important. Also remember that though the costs might be marginally higher at the outset, over time the returns are likely to more than make up for your investment.


    Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

    Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
    More Less
    Published: 24 Jul 2019, 11:24 PM IST
    Next Story footLogo
    Recommended For You
    Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App