Jakarta's love affair with AC long-term<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Clearly, it is not a mere dalliance.<\/p>\n
Last year, residents of Jakarta, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang
\npurchased 400,000 air-conditioning units for their homes, an
\nincrease of 37 percent on 250,000 units the previous year.<\/p>\n
In other words, during last year, more than 1,000 air-
\nconditioning home units flew off the shelves every day, not to
\nmention larger units for hotels and office buildings, and smaller
\nunits for cars.<\/p>\n
"As for the national sales, meaning sales in big cities in
\nIndonesia, the number reached 740,000 home units last year and
\n461,000 the previous year," Stefanus Indrayana, spokesman for
\nElectronic Marketers Club, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Indrayana said that the strong growth from 2003 to 2004 was
\npartly due to cheaper units from China flooding the market.<\/p>\n
"It was also because residents were able to increase the power
\nsupply at their homes easily last year. Now, due to the power
\nsupply decline, it would be difficult to do so, I guess," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, growth will remain strong this year because the
\ndemand for air-conditioners is always on the increase.<\/p>\n
"The cities are getting hotter; thus demand is always strong,"
\nIndrayana added.<\/p>\n
The love between Jakartans and their cooling machines is
\ngrowing, but is it a sweet love story or a sinister one?<\/p>\n
As the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), which have been
\nproven to deplete the ozone layer, in AC units is now illegal,
\nsinister liaison may be deleted from the options.<\/p>\n
But as the energy consumption from the use of ACs is quite
\nhigh compared to other electronic appliances like TVs or
\nrefrigerators, it is premature to suggest it is a sweet liaison.<\/p>\n
"A home unit AC usually requires 900 watts. Such power is
\nsufficient for 60 low-energy light bulbs," Igor O'Neill, a
\ncampaigner from the energy and natural resources department at
\nthe Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi), told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said that for saving energy, every AC unit had a thermostat
\nthat automatically turned off the unit if the temperature had
\nreached a desirable level.<\/p>\n
"The thing is, many people in Jakarta leave the AC at a cold
\nsetting, while the building not well insulated as they leave
\ndoors and windows wide open," he said.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the unit would run continuously because the room
\ntemperature never actually reached the desired level. That leads
\nto inefficient energy consumption.<\/p>\n
Besides being financially costly, such huge consumption also
\nhad a negative impact on the climate, one mainfestation of which
\nis "global warming", O'Neill added.<\/p>\n
In its website, the Greenpeace organization states that global
\nwarming, caused by burning fossil fuels, is the worst
\nenvironmental problem facing the earth.<\/p>\n
"For more than a century, people have relied on fossil fuels
\nsuch as oil, coal and gas for their energy needs. Now, worldwide,
\npeople and the environment are experiencing the consequences,"
\nthe website said.<\/p>\n
The consequences, Greenpeace continued, were disastrous --
\nextreme weather events such as drought and floods, disruption of
\nwater supplies, melting Polar regions, rising sea levels, loss of
\ncoral reefs and much more.<\/p>\n
Green organizations including Greenpeace have pushed
\ngovernments and corporations worldwide to phase out fossil fuels,
\nembracing clean and sustainable energy solutions like solar,
\nwind, geothermal and microhydro resources.<\/p>\n
However, change begins at home. While waiting for governments
\nand businesspeople to take up sustainable energy sources, you can
\nat least attempt not to worsen the situation.<\/p>\n
in box:
\nHere some tips to save energy from Walhi:<\/p>\n
Take advantage of passive cooling and you can avoid installing an
\nair conditioner:
\n- Plant tall trees to shade your roof from the sun
\n- Ventilate and insulate your ceiling cavity so heat from the
\nroof does not warm the rooms
\n- Build with eaves wide enough to shade outside walls during the
\nheat of the day
\n- Design for natural ventilation to keep air flowing, especially
\nat night -- night breezes will cool the heavy walls and floors,
\nkeeping the building cooler until later in the day<\/p>\n
If you do decide to install an air conditioner,
\n- Install it on the shady side of the building (or shade the air
\nconditioner itself); and make sure the air flow around it is not
\nobstructed
\n- Set the thermostat of the air conditioner to a cool -- (like 26
\ndegrees Celsius), but not cold temperature. Air conditioners also
\nreduce humidity, which makes your own body's cooling system
\n(perspiration) more effective, so you will feel cooler. Remember,
\nwe're living in the tropics - don't dress for a European climate!
\n- Keep windows and doors closed when using an air conditioner
\n- If the machine has adjustable louvers, adjust them towards the
\nceiling when cooling
\n- Clean the air filter occasionally to keep the unit at peak
\nefficiency<\/p>\n
For further information on protecting the climate:
\nwww.greenpeace.org
\nwww.safeclimate.net
\nwww.powerscorecard.org
\nwww.walhi.or.id<\/p>",
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