Energy Efficient Lightings

Happy morning to my dear readers, how are your days? Been busy with works or in a holiday trip right now? Well either way, I hope you have a fine day.

Last night on the 19th June 2015, I went out with a bunch of my old classmates at a nearby coffeeshop. We spent hours chatting about our past, present and future. We even talked about our working experience with the bosses. Well, all I can say is there are so many funny stories coming from them and one of the funniest is the steps that her company's management had taken to reduce the energy bills. She said that in order to achieve the profit margin of the company, her management has opted for energy savings and one of them is to switch off light when it's not in used.

I was totally agree with that energy saving plans and explained to her the benefit of it, but then she continued another statement which had me startled and quote:

"They even asked us not to turn on the lights in the toilet because there are sunlight. But the problem is even with the sunlight, we can hardly sees anything. We had to walk carefully for every steps that we take. The worst part is, even the production lines need to turn off some of its lights during production"

Wow! Energy saving is a good plan but this is ridiculous. You need to save energy but what is more important is the employees' safety. What if you'd saved just a few dollars on the energy bills but you had jeopardised the workers' safety.

So I'd suggested some of my ideas for her to share with her management and I would like to share this info with you. Firstly, let us define what is the solution for this problem. We have all been trained to save energy since we were young, but today I am not looking at the word "energy saving" but more towards "energy efficiency".

Energy Saving vs Energy Efficiency

Energy Saving- reducing or going without a service to save energy. For example, turning off lights can save energy.

Energy Efficiency- using less energy to provide the same service and quality. For example, changing light bulbs (40W) to LED light (18W) which utilize lesser energy but giving out the same brightness.

As you can see the difference between energy saving and energy efficiency is that both have the same goals of reducing energy but only differ in methodology. The easiest part for using energy efficiently is at the lighting system, no matter it's in a factory, an office building or even at home.

So What Does Lighting Do?

Lighting, otherwise known as illumination, is simply a vehicle for us to be able to carry out tasks comfortably in dark places.  We use lights for these four reasons:

1. To carry out tasks or work -reading, writing or operating equipment.
2. To create an area of comfort or an amenity – this is general lighting to live with either by daylight or artificial light and direct sunlight.
3. To create effects for aesthetics – displays, artwork, shadows definition.
4. To ensure safety – ensuring appropriate lighting levels for all those using the facility.

So now I'll go into three types of lightings that are typically available in the market. They are known as T8, T5 and LED lighting. These lightings are usually used in a building or even home.

T8 Lights

The "T" designation in fluorescence lamp stands for tubular, which is the shape of the lamp. The number that followed immediately after the "T" is the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch. Therefore T8 is a tubular lamp with an eight-eighths of an inch (equivalent to one inch) in diameter.

The power consumption for an average T8 lighting is about 40W. They usually last about 20,000 hours of lifespan. T8 usually requires a ballast and a starter to turn it on.

T5 Lights

T5 lighting is a little bit smaller than T8 lighting. Because it's smaller, that's why it consume lesser power than T8, which is about 28W. Although they consume lesser power, it still can achieve the same brightness as a T8 lighting.

T5 lamps need special ballasts to operate. In most cases, the T5 ballasts will not work with T12 or T8 lamps, although some manufacturers offer electronic ballasts that can operate either T5 or T8 lamps with appropriate wiring. Instant start, rapid start, and programmed start electronic ballasts are available for T5 lamp operation.

LED Lights

LED lights are the latest technology in energy efficient lighting. LED stands for ‘Light Emitting Diode’, a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light.

LED lights are super energy efficient, using approximately 85% less energy than halogen or incandescent lighting – meaning significant savings on your power bills. LED lights also have a much longer lifespan than other types of lighting. LED lights only consume an average 18W of power but able to give out the same luminescence as a T8 or T5 lighting. They do not need ballast or starter to turn on.

Comparison

So now you know there are three options to select when planning to install lighting in your building but you are not sure which one. I have prepared some comparisons so that you can decide which is more suitable for you.

Cost - Basically a T8 lighting costs about RM8 and a T5 is about RM 18. However for a LED light, it costs about RM40.

Lifespan - A T8 and T5 lifespan are almost identical, which are ~10,000 hours. But for LED, the lifespan can go up to ~50,000 hours.

Heat Output - The T8 and T5 generates more heat than LED due to the use of ballast, especially at the tube holder. This will not only builds up heat in a building but also introduces fire hazard. A T8 can generate up to 70°C and a T5 is about 60°C. LED will only generate as much as 35°C.

Comfort - A T8 or T5 tube is usually flickering (though it's not visible to the naked eye) and the lights are drab. A LED light is more ergonomic because they are using diodes that are controlled by drivers.

Environment - The T8 and T5 lights have low pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. This gas is hazardous to the environment. The LED only uses electronics to produce the light.

Efficiency - The T8 can provide power factor of only 0.5 while T5 can provide 0.7 only because of using ballast. LED can generate power factor of up to 0.9 due to its electronic drivers. (The closer the power factor to 1, the more  efficient the light)

I hope that these info can help you in making decision on which lighting is best used in your building. Until we meet again~

Green Building

Hello everyone, how's your holiday? It's the school holiday season now and everywhere is packed with people (Malacca, KL, Singapore, Johor, Genting Highlands, etc.) I just went to Legoland  yesterday and I can say there are hundreds of people flocking that place. It was a hot & humid day and yet the parents are willing to bring their precious to here & enjoy their break.

But while I was wondering around that place, it makes my brain to start spinning again: What if this was not an open space but it's in an enclosed building? Will it consume a lot of energy just to cool down the place? Do you need many lights just to brighten up the place? How do the people get the fresh air into the building?

This has reminded me of a Green Building Concept that currently has been applied around the globe and that includes Malaysia.

What is a Green Building?

Green Building, otherwise known as green construction or sustainable building, is a structure that utilizes processes that are environmental friendly and resource efficient throughout its life cycle; from sitting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition. It involves the searching of the right balance between homebuilding and sustainable environment.

Of course this type of balance requires the cooperation of many expertises which include the designer, the engineer, the architect and the client. Green Building prioritize the classical building design what consist of economy, utility, durability and comfort.

Although new technologies are being developed constantly to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common concept that green buildings have is to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
• Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

Green construction principles can easily be applied to retrofit work as well as new construction. It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through solar power, and using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques are used, such as using low-impact building materials or using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water.

How to rate a Green Building?

There are many green building rating that is available in this world. Each country or region has its own standards but the concept is still the same. The reason why there are multiple standard ratings are due to different regions contribute to different weather and ecological system.

For example in the United Kingdom, the standard available at there is called BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology). By using independent licensed assessors, BREEAM assesses scientifically-based criteria to cover a range of issues in categories that evaluate energy and water use, health and well-being, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management processes.

Another example would be Malaysia, which is using GBI (Green Building Index). It is a profession-driven initiative to lead the property industry towards becoming more environmental friendly. It will be the only rating tool for the tropical zones other than Singapore Government’s GREENMARK. GBI has been appointed by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) as a verification body for any sustainable buildings.

There are many more standards such as GREENMARK in Singapore, LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmetal Design) in United States and Canada, DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) in Germany, CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) in Japan, GREENSTAR in Australia and others.

Pros & Cons

So with all these information, some people will ask the common question: Is Green Building really necessary for my structures? I have listed down the upside and the downside of this Green Building concept.

Pros :- 

1. Green buildings incorporate energy and water efficient technologies that are not as readily available in traditional buildings. These technologies create a healthier and more comfortable environment as they utilize renewable energy, reduce waste, and decrease heating and cooling expenses.
2. Green buildings typically involve less maintenance. For example, green buildings generally do not require exterior painting every three to five years. This simple method helps saves the environment, as well as a consumer time and money.
3. With green buildings, the indoor air quality is improved via natural and healthy materials. Green buildings utilize clean energy sources such as solar and wind power, rather than burning coal.
4.  Considering the average life cycle of a building, 50 to 100 years, certain green building measures, such as installing solar panels or doubling the amount of installation, can yield a strong return on investment and lead to higher resale values.
5. Green building methods make the most out of energy, resources, and materials. As enforced by energy regulatory bodies, builders and design professionals must adhere to energy code requirements.

Cons :-

1. Many believe the costs associated with green building make the building methods cost-prohibitive.
2. When utilizing green building cooling components, such as natural ventilation, consumers do not have a precise mechanism to increase or decrease exact temperatures. This is a difficult hurdle for many green building occupants to overcome.
3. In order to best optimize Sun exposure, green building may demand structural positioning opposite of other neighborhood homes, causing friction among neighbors. In addition, differences in structural orientation will affect how natural daylight enters the building structure. With this in mind, there may be a need to install more overhangs, blinds, or shades.
4. In general, green roofs are comprised of multiple layers including a vegetation layer, growing medium, drainage or water storage, insulation, a waterproofing membrane, and roof support. Since they are usually heavier than a traditional roof, builders need to improve upon the existing roof’s strength in order to install a green roof.
5. Labor law compliance requirements, in regards to green building, have not fully solidified. For this reason, it is advisable to seek experienced legal counsel in order to avoid costly liabilities.

Impact To Us

As we all know, buildings bring impact to our environment, economy and communities. The health impact of buildings reach us both inside and outside of home. Studies have found that indoor air can be five times as polluted as outdoor air.

Building products chosen for use in homes must meet low- or non-toxicity standards. Toxins such as formaldehyde are often found in conventional fiberboard and furniture, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found in conventional paints and other interior building materials. The same toxins that pollute indoor air and cause respiratory aggravation also manifest in the outdoor environment as smog and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global climate change. The decision to use less toxic building products and materials not only benefits residents but also the community as a whole.

A closer look at residential and commercial buildings reveals that they are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions annually, and that the carbon dioxide emissions from buildings in the United States equal the combined building emissions of Japan, France and the United Kingdom.

The economic impacts of energy use are as significant on wallets as they are on the planet. Buildings account for 72% of all electricity use and account for 80% of all electricity expenditures.

Of all world's greenhouse gas emissions, 16% are generated from the energy used in homes worldwide. Energy generated in homes comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain and climate change. Simply put it, the less energy we use in our homes, the more money we save and the less pollution we generate. 

This savings extends to the community as a whole, ensuring that the community, by making more informed decisions today, can prevent having to bear the growing costs of pollution in the future.

Solar-Renewable Energy

Ohayoo Gozaimasu~ How is everyone's weekend?  I know mine was a wetty one. I just went to Malacca in Malaysia last weekend (7th June 2015) and it was totally a "refreshing" experience. There was flash flood in that state due to raining non-stop from early morning till afternoon. I was planning to go for the local food but was stopped  by the never-ever forgiving rain.

At least there's no one injured during this storm, which lasted till the afternoon. That's when the Sun had finally came out and so is my another post on energy efficiency, which we called it as Solar power.

What is Solar Power?

Our planet is part of a solar system, meaning it's rotating around the Sun. The Sun is used to dry clothes and grows food. But in the 19th century,  Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered that certain materials produced small amounts of electric current when exposed to light. He discovers the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placed in an electricity-conducting solution. The electricity-generation increased when exposed to light.

The sunlight is basically what we call a renewable energy source because it's always there, everyday. The solar power is actually converting the sunlight into electricity, using photovoltaic (PV). Some buildings use the solar thermal panel to heat water for washing or heating. The carbon footprint of solar PV is small because the materials used in PV panels are being recycled.

How does it help in energy saving?

Photovoltaic systems use no fuel and the modules typically last 25 to 40 years. The capital costs make up the great majority of the cost of solar power. Operations and maintenance costs for new utility-scale solar plants are estimated to be 9 percent of the cost of photovoltaic electricity, and 17 percent of the cost of solar thermal electricity.

Electricity costs vary by places. With such a broad range, it’s important to check the local rates of where you live to find what your real savings will be. For the most exact calculations, factor in an average increase of 4.3% each year on your power bill. With solar energy, you can all but drop this cost.

Pros & Cons

So now we all know that solar energy has many upsides in utilizing energy efficiently but how about the down side? There are a few of them which we could not ignore while evaluating either want to install the solar panel or using the conventional electricity supply by the power utility.

Feed-In Tariff & other government incentives

In the effort for reducing carbon footprint, many countries' governments have created various financial incentives to encourage the use of solar power, such as fee-in-tariff programs. Also, the Renewable portfolio standards impose a government mandate that utilities generate or acquire a certain percentage of renewable power regardless of increased energy procurement costs. Let's take Malaysia as an example.

Feed in Tariff (FIT) is a special tariff rate that TNB (Tenaga National Berhad-Power Utility) would buy electricity from the Solar PV owner. The FIT rate for 2013 is around 4x of TNB residential Tariff rate, this means TNB is buying at a 4x tariff rate compare to the tariff rate that they are selling. The FIT is governed by Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA).

You could engage a SEDA/ISPQ qualified Solar System Integrator or service provider to apply for the Feed in Tariff. The duration for the FIT would be 21 years. Basically TNB would sign a contract with the FIT rate with the Solar PV owner for 21 years. An additional PV meter (similiar to TNB meter) would be installed to record down the electricity generated by the Solar PV system. TNB would pay you based on the unit (kWH) generated multiply by the Feed in Tariff Rate.

The ROI (return of investment) roughly would be around 12%-17%. This is an estimation only and depends on the solar PV location, geographical condition, design, and many other factors. We would earn roughly around RM500-RM2000 passive income per month for typical house/shoplot Solar PV system.

Should we use Solar energy?

Above is a list of many solar energy pros and cons, and although not definitive, you can see how the number of pros relating to solar energy, greatly outweighs the cons of solar energy. You have known the basic of the solar energy design & application.

The main reason we are not seeing a large amount of solar energy technology installations is due to cost, and unfortunately, as the price of fossil fuels remains lower than the initial investment towards the currently available solar panels, we will not see a mass shift towards solar electricity production.

However, I believe that down the years, the materials of manufacturing solar panels will be getting cheaper and one day, all the buildings will be harnessing the energy of the Sun. The only question will be when that'll happen.

Passes une bonne journée~

Passivhaus

Hello again, how is everyone doing? Hope you are all doing as well or better than I am. So here we are again, sharing knowledge on how to make this world into a better place to live and I find that the technologies nowadays are so advance. Most of our equipment are labelled with "Energy Star" rating.

Although we have the technologies and hardwares but if it were to be used unnecessarily , it's still wasting energy. So the design of the building also plays an important role. We'll look into the design of houses that are energy efficient building. We call this as Passive House.

What is Passive House?

We've heard about passive personality, passive action, passive maintenance and so on but do you know that we also have passive house? Passive house comes from the term "Passivhaus" in German that refers to a standard or benchmark for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint.

Passive house can give positive result in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. It can give comfortable, affordable and ecological environment at the same time.

The Design

The passive house is designed for comfort, quality, ecology/sustainability, affordability, measurement results, versatility and retrofits. I'll not go into too technical about this design because it involves engineering data and architectural calculation which may confuse the readers.

Comfort - The Passive House Standard offers a new level of quality pairing a maximum level of comfort both during cold and warm months with reasonable construction costs.

Quality - Passive Houses are praised for their efficiency due to their high level of insulation and their airtight design. Another important principle is “thermal bridge free design which means the insulation is applied without any “weak spots” around the whole building so as to eliminate cold corners as well as excessive heat losses. This method is another essential principle assuring a high level of quality and comfort in Passive Houses while preventing damages due to moisture build up.

Ecology/Sustainability - Passive Houses are eco-friendly by definition. They use extremely little primary energy, leaving sufficient energy resources for all future generations without causing any environmental damage. The additional energy required for their construction (embodied energy) is rather insignificant compared with the energy they save later on. This seems so obvious that there is no immediate need for additional illustrations. It is rather worth mentioning though, that the Passive Houses standard provides this level of sustainability for anyone who wish to build or renovate at an affordable price. This is a contribution to protect the environment.

Affordability - Passive Houses not only save money over the long term, but are surprisingly affordable to begin with. The investment in higher quality building components required by the Passive House standard is mitigated by the elimination of expensive heating and cooling systems. Additional financial support increasingly available in many countries makes building a Passive House all the more feasible.

Measurement Results - Measurements carried out in 114 Passive House apartments which were part of the CEPHEUS project showed average savings of approx. 90%. In other words, the Passive House is a “factor 10 house” which only uses one tenth of the energy used by average houses. The passive house concept delivers - the savings are real, there is no performance gap.

Versatility - Any competent architect can design a Passive House, after going through the Passivhaus Institute certification. By combining individual measures, any new building anywhere in the world can be designed to reach the Passive House standard. The versatile Passive House Standard is also increasingly being used for non-residential buildings such as administrative buildings and schools. Education on the design of passive houses is available on a global level with a lot of different professional trainers.

Retrofits - The Passive House Standard can also be achieved in retrofits using Passive House components. Existing buildings account for the greatest share of energy used in buildings. A great number of these buildings will require overall or partial refurbishment or modernisation in the near future. Such occasions are perfect opportunities to reduce the energy consumption of these buildings quite significantly by applying appropriate methods. Using components developed for new Passive Houses also allows for significant energy savings in existing buildings.

Do we need Passive House?

After reading the article above, many would think: Do we really need Passive Houses?

Everyone will have their opinion on this issue but I shall share a few reasons on why we should construct Passive House.

1) It fundamentally addresses the climate crisis imperative. To mitigate the worst effects of climate change we are required to decarbonize our economies while meeting the demands of global development.

2) It is affordable in both construction and occupancy. The methodology results in only an added overall construction cost premium of approximately 15% to 20% because the construction costs for high performance elements are substantially offset by a reduction in heating and cooling systems sizing.

3) It produces the most comfortable and healthy indoor environments. With airtightness, continuous insulation, high quality windows and other measures, Passive Houses often have the most comfortable, quiet and draft free environments.   With continuous low-volume ventilation providing filtered fresh air to living and working spaces and exhausting stale air from service spaces, the indoor air is free of dangerous concentrations of typical contaminants.  And unlike buildings that rely on manual ventilation, people in a Passive House can open and close windows whenever they wish

4) It enables nearly zero energy buildings. Building specific renewable energy production can be complicated and expensive – with space requirements often making it prohibitive. With a building’s energy demand minimized with Passive House, renewable requirements become far smaller, more affordable and achievable.

5) It locks in energy savings for future generations. Unlike renewable energy production or energy saving machinery that requires active maintenance and replacement, Passive House emphasizes things like insulation, airtightness and external shading that will save energy today, tomorrow and everyday into the future without significant maintenance or replacement costs.

6) It enables a more resilient power grid.  By substantially reducing peak power demand and enabling local renewable power sources, utility system redundancies and a more robust power distribution system are possible.

You don't need a lot of green gizmos for a passive house. In contrast with a “normal house“, the cost burden is considerably less for the construction of a Passive House, even if energy costs do not increase in the future. The Passive House Standard is therefore economically attractive – even though the profits are not as enormously high as sometimes promised.

Hope this post brings some enlightenment to the readers out there about this green building concept and do their part in preserving this world for future generations. Adios~

ACMV-Air Conditioning & Mechanical Ventilation

What is ACMV?

Basically we all know it as air conditioner, which provides environment comfort to our living space. I won't go too detail with how the ACMV works as this will take as much as 30+ pages to explain it (scientifically & technically). All you need to know is that to have the cooler air supplied to our rooms or areas, the ACMV will need to make heat transfer. To do that, they will need refrigerants that transfer the heat. The warm air is passed over an evaporator coil (or known generally as cold coil) with the refrigerant and the heat flows from the warmer temperature to the cooler temperature. Thus, the flows of the heat is called heat transfer.

Picture from http://climatecontrolhickory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/air-conditioner-5.jpg

Types of Refrigerant

What is a refrigerant? Well imagine that you want to cool your drinks, you need ice cube. So refrigerant is like ice cube but it's in a liquid & gaseous form. It's a substance or mixture whereby it undergoes phase transitions from a liquid to a gas and back again. There are two types of refrigerants which are R-22 and R-410A. The R-22 is an old standard which is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) compound that contains ozone-depleting chlorine. It is slowly being phased out as this is not an environmental friendly material. So now we shall use R-410A which doesn't contain chlorine and considered as ozone-friendly.

What is SEER & EER?

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, also known as SEER, measures the air-conditioning cooling efficiency. The SEER is the ratio of cooling in BTU (British Thermal Unit) to the energy used in watt-hours. The higher the SEER, the better the efficiency in cooling.

On the other hand, EER, which is Energy Efficient Ratio, is the ratio of output cooling energy in BTU to input electrical energy in watt-hour. But the difference with SEER is that the operating period. SEER measures throughout the whole year (which includes the 4-seasons for some countries) whereas EER measures during a single point of environment. The higher the EER, the better the cooling efficiency of the device.

So how do we know when to use SEER or EER?

SEER can be used to compare one air-conditioning unit to another directly. However, it should not be used to measure how efficiently your new air conditioner will operate or how much money you can expect to save without making a calculation.  This is because as discussed above, a SEER rating is only a rating based on a standard test across a specific seasonal temperature range.  As such, use the calculation in the SEER section above to first figure out what your equivalent SEER rating would be for your climate zone, then make the best decision for your area.

EER ratings are more commonly encountered with smaller window-mounted air conditioners.  An air conditioner’s EER rating is best used to objectively compare air conditioners or to do any type of load or engineering calculation.

How to choose an energy efficient air-conditioning

Much like automobile manufacturers, today’s air conditioner manufacturers are required by law to evaluate and rate their equipment according to its energy efficiency. This rating is known in the industry as an Energy Star. The higher numbers of star in the label, the better SEER rating and higher efficiency for the air-conditioning.

Based on Electricity Regulation 1994 (Amendments 2013) Regulation 101A (3) 
"Any equipment that meets all the requirements of efficient use of electricity under subregulation (1) shall be affixed with an efficiency rating label in such form and manner as may be determined by the Energy Commission."

Most new homes with central air-conditioning come equipped with a standard builder’s model. However, when replacement becomes necessary, property owners can upgrade their air conditioning by specifying a more energy-efficient system.

The Rheem Prestige Series™ High Efficiency model, for example, has a SEER of 18.00, among the highest available. It’s significantly higher than today’s standard models, many of which carry SEER’s of at least 13.

High SEER models are generally more expensive, but can easily make up the difference by reducing your home energy bills over the long run. There are so many types of air-conditioning and it's up to you to decide which type that is suitable for the area that needs to be cooled.

Impact to the environment

So we have talked about high efficiency air-conditioning since the beginning but what is the reason that I'm so emphasized on using this costly equipment, compared to those conventional air-conditioning without Energy Star?

Energy Use - The electricity generated to power air conditioning carries both global and personal health consequences by burning fossil fuels such as coal. These power plants discharge clouds of soot and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Among these are mercury and carbon dioxide (CO2).

HCFC - As I mentioned in the "Types of Refrigerant", the cooling agents which are the ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), had depleted 95 percent less ozone. However, booming demand for air conditioners in hot climates such as India and China has upped the chemical's output in developing countries 20 to 35 percent each year, causing damage at an alarming rate and possibly setting back ozone recovery by 25 years.

Personal Health -  Dirty filters can allow allergens, pesticides and other particulate matter to enter your home from the outside, posing threats to indoor air quality. Exposure to those pollutants can trigger a host of health problems, including allergies and asthma and eye, nose and throat irritation.

So the question is, do we really need air-conditioning?

Well, this is a very subjective question. It's all based on the individual's needs. We can either use the active way (using the air-conditioning to cool down the air) or we can use the passive way (building the house facing the north or east). There's been many standards that are available to us (LEED, GBI, Passivhaus) for building an energy efficient house, but I'll go deeper on those topics in my next blog.

Hope you enjoy reading this info.

See you again next time.