v 2H TEE, aon . GREEN INVESTMENT GREEN HOUSE EFFECT Environment-friendly homes could offer an efficient GREEN HOMES are designed to be tally friendly and sustain able, and focus on the efficient use of energy and water, And they seem to be catching on. But, isa green home an invest ment? A green home saves 30 to 60 per cent on energy bills and reduces the amount of water drawn from municipal supply or from borewells by 30 t0 60 percent. A good green building also ensures that waste can be treated locally. The savings can be staggering. A home in Benga tru that pays #1500 pee month forelectrctycanreduceittoun- der £700 with some smart solu- tions. All houses constructed by BCIL ZED homes,a green home buildes,have shown this advan tage. Biodiversity Conservation India Led (BCIL) was founded in 1994 and has been making hhomes based on its zero energy development model Mumbai, Bengaluru and the National Capital Region have been drawing the largest in vestment in volume in the past three years. The reason could east investment opportunity BY CHANDRASHEKAR HARIHARAN bbethe growth potential ofthese ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY regions. Asfarascompoundan- MATERIALS nual growth rate goes, Bengalu- Furnishing wallswitha unique ruhas been growing the fastest, plaster that is long-lasting and partly because ofits salubrious carbon-friendly. It requires climate, the countless entertain- ment offerings andits gentle and reasonably tolerant people. The rate at which our popalation and disposable income is growing, natural resources in the country ‘ortheplanetcannot support our consumption for long. We have toget more fromless. Ttakes no muclear science to graft some supplementary cle ments to any regular building tomake itgreen. Some 'passive solutions’ can make a building naturally cool, well-itand son People do not connect the dots berween the specific beneft that a product or a service of fers and the contribution they are making to save the planet. A ZED idea in action offers the customer the feel of why his do- ing well forhimselfis aso doing good for the planet. How his purchases lighter on his wallet, while being lighter on the planet, too. [tis therefore not just the buying, but what he is buying Examples of such ideas are:nearly no maintenance and saves recurring cost of painting. Optimised reduction in quan. ‘© Using 33 per cent fly ash con: tural purposes ‘m Oprimised reduction in quan tity of concrete, using only com. posite cement 1m Using manufactured sand in: stead of riverbed sand, which saves 1 sq km of riverbed for ev ry 10 akh sqft of construction, ‘Natural stone flooring adds texture and colourto the home = Making doors from sustain ably harvested wood. Maintenance-free external plaster in stone grit. "Using zero VOC (volatile or ganic compound) paints for in- ternal surfaces. These don't emit m Specially engineered mason- ry blocks, including designer blocks, which areenergy-effcient and ensure that heat gain inside is reduced by three to four de agrees Celsius, mHeatreflecive coat on terrace THe 8 incooling loads, ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLI- ANCES A ZED air-conditioner saves about 50 percent energy ‘MUsing low energy fans thatcon- sume 28 r0 30 watts against che usual 70 watts can save up to 50 percenton energy consumption, 1 Choosing LEDs over CFL and CFL over incandescent can save over 70 percent on energy bil ‘2Using solar or thermal water heating systems saves more than £200 per month sa Using solar photovoltaic panels to bolster energy needs can save at least 40 to $0 per cent on en- ergy bills per month, ZEROIMPORTOF WATER ‘m Optimum water management by incorporating water-efficient fixtures, waste water manage ment, rainwater harvesting and monitoring usage can save up to 1 lakh litres per home per year ‘wFaucets with aerators and flow restrictors save more than 45 li- perday. mA typical ZED home with such faucets and ph saves 600 ually. umbing fixtures percent wateran- ‘mRainwater harvesting for every 100 sqm of roof.can result in 10 lak litres annually Storm water management: Run-off water from site and ex cess water from roofs is sent to shallow aquifers through perco- lation pits and trenches, bolster: ing the groundwater table. sm Waste water management:26 ENE, MAOH 2m treating and reusing waste water can reduce our fresh- ‘water use by 60 t0 75 percent, ‘wRe-looping waste water into the system can save up to 60 percent water wwTreated black water for irri- gation: such drastic reduction in water consumption can save upwards of £20,000 per year and also giving freedom from the grid, ‘ZERO EXPORT OF WASTE mads in the ZED cam GREEN INVESTMENT other non-recyclables are pro- vided in the common areas. ECOSCAPING ‘Every home at ZED Earth, 4 residential complex in Ben- galurs, comes with a private garden ecoscaped with care fully chosen native species that require less water and maintenance, ‘m Gardens offer carbon sinks that can secure carbon-neu- trality on lifestyle and carbon a There are plants that en: hance air-quality and increase ‘ozone and oxygen levels. = Medicinal and aromatic plants used for therapeutic ‘Recycled plastic containers hold the wide range of plants, including trees. WA suitable ecological cycle is created to attract birds and burerfles, kitchen garden to grow or ganic vegetables, The central principle is the ECO approach to design. F for embodied energy and efficiency, Cis for construction energy in pus have been made using construction debris, from the soling to the conerete mixture used in surface preparation m Once segregated, kitchen ‘waste from each home is sent oa natural compost-making All wee waste turns to nutri- every component and O for op- erating energy, which the dweller uses after the building is occu- pied or the productis being used Ifevery builder and every con- sumer approaches the challenge in these ways, more than 70 per cent of our demand for energy and water in cities will disap ‘management, separate com: Bag eey oss pear. This is the future that will bins for paper plastic; sustainable lass, e-waste, toxic waste and 7 centrrich fertiliser that enriches garden beds. To ensure effective waste