Creating Green Buildings In Kenya Using Energy Efficient Buildings
Kenyan Building Designers are confronted with the challenge of creating green buildings in Kenya that is relevant to the times we live in. A particular area in which an architect needs to create sustainable design in is the factor of designing energy efficient building. Buildings are huge users of energy in many ways and the construction industry has led to having a high level of energy use. This necessitates consequently for buildings to integrate necessities for sustainability in order for them to favorably give to the green agenda.
Creating Green Buildings In Kenya through Energy Efficient Buildings – Use of Green Fittings
Green design calls for buildings to lessen their energy needs, i.e. that they exert less power demands on the environment, and do not cause unfavorable environmental consequences in the action of obtaining this power. This is associated to the requisite to have substitute energy sources that are not abusive to the environment. Energy sources that do not emit much carbon dioxide emissions and have little or no volatile organic compounds elements within them are better for the sake of adapting to the green agenda.
Power is consumed within buildings through the plethora of appliances and gadgets that we use in our bureaus, institutions, residences, industries and commercial enterprises. These appliances are required for the successful operations of these facilities. We cannot function in today’s working environs without making use of these conveniences. Therefore, we play, are productive and buy and sell using contraptions and equipment that constantly use energy in one way or another.
It is in the setting of our built environment that we use these energy consuming gadgets to go through our day to day works. It is thus critical that we check how we can trim back the rate of intake of energy within our buildings Similarly it is important that we look at using equipment that consume as little energy as possible as they function within our buildings.
Energy Efficient Devices that should be incorporated by developers in Kenya
We carry out a number of activities within our homes and business offices. Each of these activities has a basic necessity for light. In wide office spaces, one may find poor level of natural luminance at some workstations deep within these spaces, and these have to be supplemented with artificial lighting.
One may suppose that the cost of lighting up a single workstation may be comparatively small. However when this is regarded in the circumstance of an integral office consisting of many workstations, it is a substantial cost factor . Lighting an office or home also requires other levels of light to be provided, including general lighting, task lighting, external lighting and decorative lighting. All these exert their demands on the light expenditure required. These elements of lighting all add up to create a large energy consumption requirement.
The use of energy saving lamps is a huge advancement as regards energy conservation. It is profound how one type of light fitting can emit the same amount of lighting as another which uses much more energy. This is one of the gains in lighting technology that users can tap into. Previously the use of filament bulbs was commonplace in supply of lighting within households and offices. These light fixtures however were prone to high energy uptake due to their make up. This has now been replaced by the usage of energy saving lighting fixtures such as LED and flourescent lights which produce more light while using up less energy. In effect, should you need to allow for artificial lighting to heighten your working area lighting levels, you will spend far less on energy consumption by using these varieties of light installations.
Having light fittings that can be controlled is a big way with which one can further the green agenda..Lights in spaces that are not in use all the times, or have periodic usage, should be controlled. For example, within toilets, stores and deserted rooms that have now and again usage, lights should be controlled to ensure that they are not on during the moments when when the rooms are not in use. Outdoor lighting and security lighting can also be controlled in this way
Fittings that are able to regulate themselves and turn themselves on or off according to user demands are the best for these spots. Smart fittings having electronic sensors are able to be placed in rooms and can turn themselves on or off automatically as they sense the occupants within a room. In addition, should the room be vacated, the light fixtures are able to switch themselves off, resulting in less wastage. Light fixtures having photocell sensors are also able to detect the amount of surrounding lighting in a space and are able to dim or light up accordingly, to ensure optimal lighting levels. This has a huge impact in producing savings from energy consumption through smart lighting.
Smart technology devices will save a lot of money, supporting green buildings in Kenya
Another huge source of energy consumption in the world today is the computer. Computers are used globally, with many activities in the office being dealt with by computers. These often come in several components that draw electrical power, i.e. a CPU unit, a monitor, printers and other peripheral devices, as well as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).
Information Technology managers should encourage the use of portable computers within the office from day to day, as these come as single units that consume less power. Laptops and netbooks have developed steadily in their abilities to manage tasks in the office, with many having great specs. Their portability offers great vantages in allowing people to work in diverse locations without a problem.
A major advantage is the fact that their electrical energy usage is much lighter than identical desktop computers that require several ingredients to be powered at a time. Use of such computer systems will warrant much lower power intake within the office. In addition, being battery powered gives an alternative choice for energy provision, ensuring that less electricity is drawn from the national grid all the time.
We must use energy efficiency to achieve green buildings in Kenya
Addressing these two spheres alone in a working environment can have great effects on the energy needs of a building. Thinking green as regards the energy usage in our buildings from day to day will assist in increasing the sustainability of our buildings.
Green Buildings Sprouting Up in Nairobi, Kenya | The GRID | Global Site Plans Sep 27, 2014 @ 20:26:17
[…] More technically, a green building is one whose construction and lifetime of operation assure the healthiest possible environment while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and […]
Abraham Mwashinga Mar 14, 2015 @ 09:27:42
Sustainability needs to be effected as a policy statement encoded from our school curricula to the building code. Approvals of new building should be vetted on green compliance.