Tips for greening your home

The Jakarta Post

Man-made natural disasters, especially in the past few years, have shown that the slogan "think globally, act locally" has not reached down to earth in Indonesia yet. To help Jakartans lead a green lifestyle, The Jakarta Post's Adianto P. Simamora, Anissa S. Febrina and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak provide tips on how to conserve natural resources and reduce emissions.

Home design and material

Orientation - The length of the house should face north or south to avoid direct sun exposure. The east-west axis is best for service areas like the kitchen or bathroom.

Layout - It's best for homes in the tropics to have a "thin" layout, in which the distance between the front and rear walls is no more than eight meters. - Building an inner courtyard is a design solution for homes in crowded areas without enough space for a backyard, the feature that would allow the best cross ventilation. - Percolation pits for water runoff can also be built underneath an open inner courtyard. - Arrange rooms in the house to face the inner courtyard to provide better air circulation. - Place pot plants in inner courtyards to maximize the amount of oxygen produced indoors -- but don't forget to put them outside at night.

Roof - A roof tilting between 20 and 30 degrees will best reflect sun rays and radiation, preventing heat from pooling on your roof. - Clay roof tiles are still the best material for homes in the tropics. - Upper decks are potential areas for additional open green space, plant grass and plants on them but make sure that the concrete construction is built properly to avoid water seeping into your home. - Put a skylight above your bathroom with transparent tiles to allow natural lighting during day.

Building materials - Build thick walls to insulate the inside of your home from hot days. - Using stone as an exterior cover can prevent heat from getting inside. - Use interior and exterior colors that reflect energy from the sun rather than absorbing it. White and pastel shades work best.

Air circulation - Cross ventilation is the key to allowing better air flow. - Tall roofs might be more expensive during construction, but in the long run, they provide thermal comfort and remove much of the need for air conditioning. The ideal ceiling height is around three meters, but higher is better, as more height gives more space for hot air to rise. - Exposed ceilings also provide more room for air circulation than flat ceilings. - Tall windows allow better circulation. - Alternate glass windows with wooden blinds lower the amount of light and heat entering the house.

Artificial lighting and color - Downlights and spotlights might enhance the aesthetic value of your interior, but they require a lot of electricity. Turn them off whenever possible. - If you have halogen standing lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent lamps. Compact fluorescent standing lamps use 60% to 80% less energy, produce more light, and do not get as hot as halogen lamps. - Use task lighting instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.

Fence - Plant vines on the exterior wall or your fence as a great looking heat insulator.

Garden and landscaping - Trees are an essential element in creating a moderate micro-climate. - For the pavement, grass blocks provide a better level of water absorption than asphalt or cement. - Water your garden either between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. or between 8 p.m. and midnight to avoid evaporation. Midday watering is not effective in a hot climate since half of the water is usually lost to evaporation. - Connect the drains on your roof to containers. The collected rainwater can be used for watering plants. - Leave grass clippings on the lawn. Grass clippings make good fertilizer when they decompose. Leaving them on your lawn keeps them from occupying limited landfill space. - Let grass grow a bit taller and it won't need as much water. - Plant local plants that do not consume much water. Add anti-insect shrubs such as zodia and lavender to chase away mosquitoes rather than using canned sprays.

In the garage

Car washing - In order to reduce consumption of non-potable water, gray water can be collected from sinks, tubs, and everything else except toilets, and then reused for other purposes such as car washing. - Never leave the hose running when you wash your car. Use a squeeze type (pistol grip) hose nozzle, or use a sponge and several pails of clean water for hand rinsing. - Practice the wet-wash-rinse routine only when the car is extremely dirty. In many situations, the car could simply be washed with the warm soapy water and then rinsed. This eliminates the need for the pre-wash wetting, and cuts down on water use. - When pre-wash wetting, or rinsing, use a gentle spray from the hose instead of a high velocity stream of water. The finer spray will wet the surfaces just as well without nearly as much splash and waste as a hose at full power. - If you prefer to use commercial car washes, find out which ones in your neighborhood filter and recycle their wash water.

For your car - Walk, bike and take a bus when possible. Use your car only when necessary. - If you own more than one car, drive the one that gets the best fuel mileage whenever possible. - Go easy on the brakes and gas pedal. Avoid "jackrabbit" starts by accelerating gradually whenever possible. Also, anticipate stops to avoid sudden braking. - Avoid long idles. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. Instead of idling at a drive-up window, park the car and go in. Idling burns more petrol than restarting the engine. - Avoid carrying unneeded items in the trunk. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. Also, reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. - Use overdrive. If your car is equipped with overdrive gearing (on 5-speed manual transmissions and 4-speed automatic transmissions), be sure to make use of the overdrive gear as soon as your speed is high enough. If you have a manual transmission, the lower the shift speed, the better the fuel economy. - Keep tires properly inflated and aligned. Periodic wheel alignments and keeping tires inflated to the maximum recommended pressure can improve your mileage. - Get regular engine tuneups and car maintenance checks. Tuneups improve performance as well as mileage.

Sources: Indonesian Architects Association, Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), WWF Indonesia Power Switch campaign, www.epa.gov and various sources