Insulating your home cuts down electricity bill
The little-known fact that you could save air conditioning costs by 25% by insulating your home is slowly filtering into mainstream consciousness of Malaysians
If you could save your air-conditioning costs by 25 per cent and reduce energy used to run air-conditioning by 40% with a small outlay of RM3,000, wouldn’t you do it? That’s the amount you need to fork out for a 3-hour insulation installation work. Yet, in Malaysia, few homes have latched on to this incredible savings feature. Why?
That’s because most people associate insulation with countries which experience cold climates. But, did you know that insulation also works in the reverse?
Insu-what?
Insulation works effectively in hot as well as in cold climates. It functions in a similar way as a thermal flask – by keeping the coolness from escaping and the outside heat from penetrating in. Insulation works through layers of materials (in this case, mineral wool) covering and insulating areas of the buildings to keep rooms cooler for longer periods and thereby cuts down the use of electricity for cooling. By installing insulation on the ceiling of a home or building, the indoor temperature can be 2 to 5oC cooler.
Insulation is defined as a material or combination of materials, which are primarily used to retard the flow of heat. Other benefits of insulation include its capability to reduce noise pollution and slow down the spread of fire. One of the most common and widely known forms of insulation is mineral wool, which is made from molten glass or stone that is spun into fibre-like structures.
One of the few companies which provides mineral wool insulation technology in Malaysia is CSR Climate Control (M) Sdn Bhd. A member of the Malaysian Insulation Manufacturers Group (MIMG), it has to date retro-fitted some 4,000 homes with mineral wool insulation. MIMG is a voluntary non-profit organisation and comprises three Malaysian insulation manufacturers: CSR Climate Control (M) Sdn Bhd, Poly Glass Fibre Manufacturing Sdn Bhd and Roxul Asia Sdn Bhd. It essentially promotes the benefits of insulation for the Malaysian building industry.
Insulation is well proven in Europe and US – research shows that more than 40% of energy can be saved by insulating the house properly. In addition, the cost of installing insulation is a one-off cost - approximately RM3,000 for an average Malaysian home - and requires no maintenance throughout the lifespan of the house.
Increased use of air-conditioning
According to McKinsey/Vattenhall Climate Map, usage of air conditioners in the world’s largest economies such as the US, China and India will triple before 2030.
An earlier study done by CETDEM (Centre for Environment, Technology & Development Malaysia) in 2006 showed that air-condition and fan account for 35% of the average electricity consumption by residential end-users in Malaysia.
Perhaps Malaysians don’t feel the pinch yet. This is because we are lucky enough to have our electricity bill heavily subsidized by our government. In the long-term this might not be sustainable. Sooner or later, the electricity tariff will increase and so will our bills.
People in cold climates are always griping about the heating bill. Here, in Malaysia, our electricity bill is getting higher as air-conditioning use shoots up through the roof due to the sweltering hot weather. As insulation has proven to reduce electricity cost, it only makes sense to install it the sooner the better.
The way forward – legislative move?
The take-up rate for residential properties has however been very slow. For new houses, developers cite cost concerns for not incorporating it into their residential projects. Perhaps a change of mindset is in order.
In Malaysia, usually government legislation and political will ensure a degree of compliance . Why not learn from the Australian experience? Australia has since last year through its Energy Efficient Homes Ceiling Insulation initiative, embarked on a massive programme to install free ceiling insulation for around 2.7 million homes. It might not be feasible here but that’s where all the stakeholders need to work together. Without a doubt, this is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to reduce our carbon emission.
