I am starting this thread as a stimulus to architects especially and Nigerians in general, to take issues concerning  the issue of Energy conservation and alternative sources of energy more seriously in the conception, design and use of residential, commercial and even industrial projects.

The level of awareness of the need for energy conservation is abysmally low among Nigerian architects, so the need to incorporate energy conservation and offer alternative solution from the conception and design phase is practically non-existent. I have been an advocate of this for the past 6 years and have met very limited interest from clients. I do not blame them; the cost of energy used to be very low and at the same time the cost of installing alternative energy solutions was very high. But now the situation is reversing, the cost of electricity is sky rocketing while the cost of fossil fuels to run our generators is space rocketing, at the same time the cost of alternative energy components like Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Inverters, even deep cycle batteries are crash landing. So it makes more sense today to go for alternative energy solutions for some or even all of our energy needs than it did 10 years ago.

I am an architect with a strong passion for alternative energy and energy conservation in general. I believe Nigerians are far too wasteful in their use of energy and is costing individuals, corporate bodies and governments billions of unnecessary dollars just to run our appliances and machines. Even in Europe where the per capital income is far higher than us, they take energy conservation very seriously in their building designs, they employ double glazing of their windows, bricks walls (sometimes double layers of walls), good insulation on doors, ceilings and other openings, etc in order to keep in the heat and keep out the cold, thereby reducing the over all heating cost. Contrast that to what is obtained here;  windows are usually shabbily installed with gaps, gaping gaps under and by the sides of doors, very low pitched roof of aluminum roofing sheet or zinc sheets where temperature inside the roof can reach 60 degrees centigrade in the afternoon. After all these powerful air-conditioners   are then installed to cool these spaces. A lot of energy would first be wasted to counter the effects of these factors, before energy needed to cool the spaces to ambient temperature is expended. Furthermore most of the cold escapes through the gaps and poor installations, and that is main reason our air-conditioners do not last, because the compressors work harder than it is designed for. Compressors are meant to work at most half the time, but due to poor installation, poor design, etc, the compressors work most of the time.

Another evidence of our wasteful nature is in our choice of lighting appliances and fittings; the cost of lighting is very significant in the overall energy bill. This can be reduced by the use of Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) instead of incandescent bulbs which is a heater on its own. Furthermore LED bulbs are even more energy efficient than CFL.  A lot of western nations are discouraging the use of incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs while promoting the use of Compact Fluorescent Lights.

I hope to use this thread to rob mind with like minded people, Architects, other professionals and other interested people on how to promote and incorporate the use of alternative energy sources in our homes and offices, especially from the design phase.  The alternative energy area of interest includes Solar Energy systems, Wind energy systems, Inverter systems, energy saving appliances, solar lighting and water systems, and any other system relevant to energy conservation and alternative energy.

I also intend this thread to be educational. I implore people to share their knowledge and experience concerning the subject, so we can all learn from each other and keep abreast with new innovations.

great!

I wholeheartedly support this campaign of yours. Though I'm not an architect, I have had cause to read about the need for cost-effectiveness in our design of structures in the country. One thing that struck me in particular was the fact that it will cost about $500 million to replace all our current incandescent light bulbs with CFL (while generating 8,000 MW reduction in overall demand across the country), yet it will take investments of between $15 and $20 billion to construct a power generating plant with such generating capacity, together with the necessary transmission and distribution infrastructure.

In light of the above, I think it is imperative that government institutes a national policy of energy conservation to be enforced on our property sector.

Excellent topic! There is a serious need for us to change our mindsets in our approach to architecture in this country. Sometimes I have seen property designs on this forum and I cringe in despair when I see the vastness of glazed walls exposed directly to the sun's glare and shudder to think about the cost of attaining internal comfort in those spaces. Wastefulness in roof design with useless roof slopes irrespective of where the building is located and how many months that zone has rainfall a year. We might need to take a good look at the traditional architecture of the different zones of our country and learn some things about how to design appropriately. And, no! I am not saying we should be regressing, but I am saying that just as mathematics begins from basic concepts, so Nigerian architecture should develop from the basics of the Nigerian environment. There are communities in parts of Nigeria that used glazed pottery for floor design: today we import cheap and inferior material in the name of "modern"! Yet there are places where these have been in use in our own land: how do we take these to the next step? Cooling our interiors? Keeping out the heat and dust but letting in natural light remains a challenge, decoration, built in storage space?

I look forward to the follow up on this discussion and fervently pray that it does not degenerate into mindless drivel,

i'm not an architect but i firmly believe solar energy is the way of the future.

people should learn how to conserve electricity and also use the sun's energy
to full advantage. i'm presently using solar and i can tell you there's no better
energy source compared to the sun!

George_D:

i'm not an architect but i firmly believe solar energy is the way of the future.

people should learn how to conserve electricity and also use the sun's energy
to full advantage. i'm presently using solar and i can tell you there's no better
energy source compared to the sun!

I love that

George_D:

i'm not an architect but i firmly believe solar energy is the way of the future.

people should learn how to conserve electricity and also use the sun's energy
to full advantage. i'm presently using solar and i can tell you there's no better
energy source compared to the sun!

Good. The cost is still on a high side for ordinary Nigerians to acquired.

@OP

Nice one and more grease to your elbow for sharing your ideas, hopes and ingenuity with your fellow country men. We need more like minded people like you in 9ja.

@HNosegbe and nadkaf

Great contributions from you guys. Although, the subject matter presented by the poster is not my area of specialty, I have nonetheless learned something tangible from you guys. Maybe one of you would be the one to design and construct my dream home.

Peace

bravo

i am into solar electricity installation and i can tell you the level of knowledge/edcation is still very low.

For instance someone comes ro me that he wants to power his ac,fridge and tv with solar electricity and i advise him to start with basic needs like light and fan. he tells me that what is the essence of having light without getting cold water. Whe i calculate his honey and give him the bill he shouts ans say why should he spend such money on just having electricity.

the cost of installing solar electricity is coming down by the day. I installed a small system in my house about two years ago, it cost about 180,000 and now i could cut about 40,000 off the same materials.

The truth is we can take advantage of the energy revolution if we would start were we are (moneywise) and if we waste less.

@yemi solar. i need a solar electricity instalation in my house to power my music studio. i want to know how much it will cost me with neccesary detail.

paragonpro:

Another evidence of our wasteful nature is in our choice of lighting appliances and fittings; the cost of lighting is very significant in the overall energy bill. This can be reduced by the use of Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) instead of incandescent bulbs which is a heater on its own. Furthermore LED bulbs are even more energy efficient than CFL.  A lot of western nations are discouraging the use of incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs while promoting the use of Compact Fluorescent Lights.

This is valid. Why can't Nigeria begin the implementation of this especially against the background of our low power generation numbers?

yemi solar

what solar eq can supply electricity for this appliances
electric cooker, fride freezer, microvave and two three sockets

yemi solar

what solar eq can supply electricity for these appliances
electric cooker, frigde freezer, microwave and two three sockets

I think there isnt proper awarness on energy conservation in nigeria.Many professionals in d building industry dnt even knw abt it nt 2 mention givin a 2nd thought.I therefore,throw the challenge to architects to integrate this from early design stage as its importance can not be overemphasized.I think there isnt proper awarness on energy conservation in nigeria.Many professionals in d building industry dnt even knw abt it nt 2 mention givin a 2nd thought.I therefore,throw the challenge to architects to integrate this from early design stage as its importance can not be overemphasized.

Nice blog.

I believe we can all make some conscious effort to reducing energy costs where we cannot outrightly make major changes considering a larger part of the populace are tenants and not landlords, i.e. I make sure all my appliances not in use - e.g. fans, A/C, dispenser, sockets powering TV/radio/Home theater/Microwave/phone chargers/laptops and even light bulbs - when i'm either not at home or even at home not being used are SWITCHED OFF.
This has helped to reduce my overall expenditure on electricity bills coupled with the increase in electricity tariff.

For tenants, the most we can do are the following:
1. monitor/manage electricity use as stated above.
2. install inverters (if allowed by the landlords)
3. install some solar panels/windmills to power light bulbs and some specific sockets (labelled preferably) e.g. the ones that power TV/home theater/decoder/laptop or phone chargers, and fans (if allowed by the landlords)
4. replace all halogen and incandescent light bulbs with CLF or LED bulbs.


For landlords, they can do the following:
1. build the houses with better materials and tidy the finishing to eliminate gaps
2. use of single glazed mirrors
3. build the houses with a design that allows more sunlight into the house for the larger parts of the day thereby reducing the need for switching on light bulbs during the day.

I believe with these few changes we'll be well on our way to reducing energy consumption and improving energy generation and use.

@paragonpro: Love this topic

I have tried the solar marketing campaign some years back. It was difficult. After corruption, our countries problem is ignorance. Benjamin Franklin said "I will speak evil of no man", and in light of this, i am not here to disparage anyone, but to encourage we few. Its great to be in a forum with like minds.It is rare to find practical professionals. That said, i believe the government has a major part to play in this, as do we. In forward thinking countries, the government encourages its citizens to use alternative energy by giving subsidies and rebates. Some electric utility companies even pay their customers for generation of alternative energy which is fed back into the grid. But here in Nigeria, we are talking about Nuclear energy,

We who are enlightened need to pool our resources and experience to create public awareness, plus prayers. Nigerians by default do not think long term, and so must be convinced why they must make the necessary investment in alternative energy. If we can come together and make a [b]VIDEO DOCUMENTARY [/b]of how many billions of Naira companies can save by cutting diesel costs, not to talk about the environmental tragedies that will be avoided, we will get somewhere.

Please guys, this is our passion. Lets get together so this dream and thread does not die.

There is need to draw the Attention of Stake holders in the building industry to alternative Energy and Conservation.
Architects need to incorporate this from the inception of any project.
In general , the use of Traditional Materials in building help in retaining and generation of energy in building
eg the use or bricks. Bricks makes the inner spaces of building warm during the cold seasons and make its cold during the hot seasons.other trad. materials are wood, tach etc

Then the size of our spaces. we dont need to make our spaces too big than neccessary. so that the cost of cooling, heating and powering will not be more that neccessary. aesthetically it would even be easier to decocorate smaller spaces with quality materials to taste.

Solar power can be incoporated into our designs, eg using Photovoltaic solar panels. Roof cold be angled towards the sun so that the solar pannells cld receive maximum sunlight to power the building.
Very good site analysis is important so that u can know which part of the building shld have big openings and which part of the building shld have small openings. in some cases smaller oppenings are more effective.

Insulation: sometimes high pitched roofs helps with good insulating ceilling materials ,so before heat penetrates from the roofing mat. to the cieling and then to the occupants it wld hve bn regulated. proper installation of doors and windows to avoid escape  of energy.


Landscaping of the the environment this shld be done from the earlly stage of the construction so that by the time the building is completed they wld hve grown and wld provide the neccessary shade to the building

Choice of Colours for painting, some colours attracts heat while some repells, these can be used as required,

@ola R.B
You can calculate the cost yourself. Every electrical eqipment has a label (usually by the back or in the manual). the way i calculate the cost is to look at the wattage of each appliance, add all together and multiply by N550 (more or less like N550/watt).

This will give you AN IDEA of your cost. If you have problems doing that you can call me on 08052141582 .

@pukkah
If we wait for the government 'we go tey o'. We need to start taking our today into Our own hands.

@kunlekunle
You could follow my explanation above but from just a glance those appliances will not only drain energy, they'l drain your pockets too. except if you are using them for business in which case i would advise you go for solar fridge/freezers.

As for the '2-3' sockets, you have to be more specific as to what you want to connect to them so that you can have an accurate system(solar generator) size

yemi solar:

@pukkah
If we wait for the government 'we go tey o'. We need to start taking our today into Our own hands.

Indeed we should start taking these things into our own hands but government is in the best position to provide the environment and galvanize people into particular ways of behaviour.  There is no other group or organization/individual that can do this effectively.

I'll give you one example: in spite of the obvious benefits, the usage of seat belt while driving was not compulsory in Nigeria until January 2003 when FRSC started its implementation.  Yet before then, there were advocacy groups and volunteers who were telling people to always wear seat belts, of course you know the result: their calls were not successful.

This is why I think government agencies or ministries are better positioned to drive this either by policies that will make CFLs cheaper and incandescent bulbs more expensive and some other ways. As an extreme option, they could even consider an outright ban of the inefficient bulbs. These things can be done very discreetly. At the rate at which PHCN rations the insufficient mega-watts, do policy makers even need to be told this or they are simply not aware?

Colleagues,
let me give you an example of the lack of awareness in designing energy efficient buildings in Nigeria.
A couple of years ago i was part of the design team for the design of the new headquarters tower for Energy Commission of Nigeria, to be located in Abuja.
We tried to develop a concept that would reflect the global move towards use of natural sources of energy. The design included large openings
at the roof level and services floor covered in solar panels which would generate enough energy to power the whole building. The idea was that the energy commission of Nigeria HQ was not going to be powered by PHCN.
Unfortunately the solar panels scheme was shelved for being too grandiose, unattainable and expensive to maintain as compared to PHCN + fossil fuel power generating; this was in 2001.
The tower is still not built and i understand there are moves within the commission to review the design, i pray the new design team whoever they may be
come up with a design that reflects the present global drift towards green buildings.

@Mk Yusuf,

I agree with you on the need for stakeholders to come together to push the alternative energy agenda, it must start from us. We must form ourselves into a pressure group to prod the government and lawmakers into taking action. We need policies that would promote the use of alternative energy sources and conservation and help relieve a bit of pressure from PHCN. For example;

Government should reduce or even eliminate tariff on alternative energy devices like solar panels, inverters, wind turbines, deep cycle batteries, etc. they should also reduce tariff on CFL and LED lights.

Government can also initiate policy that allows for seamless integration between power generated from consumers( from alternative sources or generators) and power consumed from PHCN. This can be done with a two way meter. If you produce more power than you need the excess is sold to PHCN. THis policy alone can add over 10,000mw to the national grid over night as most people and companies do not use up to 50% of their generator capacity. This policy is practiced in germany.

I also agree with you 100% on the need to go back and study our indigenous architecture, and incorporate the functional elements with modern designs. Elements like the high pitched roof which prevented heat in the afternoon, long roof overhangs that provided shades, use of clay (even mixed with cement) for its thermal properties, even the court yard design that allows for good ventilation, and many more. It is a pity we are trying to build a “concrete jungle".

This is a great topic. Surely a pity that Nigeria with our abundant sunlight is not taking advantage of solar power as a supplement. It does not have to replace NEPA completly- but as a supplement. If a home or business uses CFL or LED lighting that will go a long way. Alse LED TV and Laptops can easily be powered/re-charged by solar energy. More households should practice more passive solar methods to reduce heat gain thereby reducing the need for A/C in the hot months.

@OP, great post! I'm a building services/sustainable energy engineer myself and I've recently been involved in some building services projects looking to employ modern energy conservation techniques. Looking forward to the great ideas that will be shared here.

Issue of energy efficiency is vital for all green energy practitioners as all designs start here. The truth is that the level of awareness of green energy is still very low in Nigeria. Government, Green energy Engineers, Architects and developers all have one or two roles to play in ensuring that green energy compete with other sources of energy.

While some forward thinking countries are working towards playing down on radioactive, coal & fuel burning, just by encouraging green energy sources, Nigeria is yet to find her bearing. There is a need for the government to start implementing the recomendations of NIGERIAN energy technocrats in solving our energy issue right from generation and transmission to distribution. For more than ten years, generating capacity revolves round 6000MW and actual generation 4000MW and we still don't know that energy mix is the solution.

Green energy practitioners have failed customers on several occations. A system badly done takes us one step forward and hundred steps backward. Few months back, I was talking to a contact in Ekiti state government on the possibility of roofing their housing estate with solar roofing sheet. I was made to understand that the present administration is very relunctant in spending on solar as those done under past governor were nothing but complete failure. Solar street lights along Ogba and that of Opebi are few of the failed projects in Lagos. There is a need to institute a body that will oversee all activities of practitioners to as to ensure only quality jobs are done.

Architects, developers and end users need to start developing passion for green energy because in near future, it will become the principal means of generating energy in Nigeria.

@kaykaybaba
I agree with you that failed solar jobs is a major diservice to the acceptance of solar electricity.

As a practitioner i cannot imagine the quality of materials used for the streetlights at ogba and allen. Though i do not know the firm that got the contract but they are not helping others who are doing good jobs.

Having said that, there are quite a number of good jobs that we have done.

I WILL NOT under any circumstance use compact fluorescent lights also called energy saving bulbs. It contains mercury and mercury is very dangerous to your health. I have kids in the house, what if they mistakenly break a bulb?

I can do other things but CFL is not for me.

@Blank,

Your fear of CFL tubes is unjustified. People (and I am sure that includes you) have been using normal fluorescent tubes for decades and there had not been health concerns.

Its is like saying you will not use batteries because it contains lead.

Abeg google the dangers of CFL if u think i am high on crack.
Have u not seen that cancer etc is on the increase.

I have read tons of material condemning CFL, but I think is all alarmist. most likely multinational energy corporations and incandescent bulb maunufacturers are conspiring to discourage the use of CFL. Please tell me how can. Cfl cause cancer? Are you going to break the tubes to inhale the Mercury vapour? Or is it your children that changes your light bulds? Which contains more mercury the new compact fluorescent lights or the big old 4 feet fluorescent tubes? Why did they not make noise about the 4 feet bulbs and they are screaming a about the tiny cfl.

The problem with fluorescent tubes in general is their disposal. It should be disposed properly to avoid contaminating water or food for human and a animal consumption.

See as you dey yarn opata. If u wan yab persin, yab urself and ur generations, leave my kids out of ur stupid talk. U don't have to be condescending in ur answer. I said, and i will put it in caps, IF THE CFL SHOULD BREAK, IT WILL LEAK OUT MERCURY. U can not stop accidents from happening. Talking stupid shit about kids changing light bulbs. If the light bulb was being changed in the house with them in it and it should break, nko?

Even the people u want to copy are protesting but u want people in Naija, who r not conscious of the dangers, to swallow it hook line and sinker. The energy being saved in powering ur house, does it make up for the amount of mercury being released into the ecosystem by thousands of CFL bulbs that are thrown into the thrash? Abroad, they recycle those bulbs which is the only safe way to dispose of them but here, we just toss it in the bin.

Abeg, yarn another one. U are talking of multinational energy companies conspiring to discourage its use, what of manufacturers of CFL bulbs conspiring to push a product that is not healthy? Even in UK, with all their health consciousness, how many actively encourage the use?

U think we are still gullible abi? Thank God for research and the internet. Please, before anyone uses it, just do a little research on the dangers of CFL bulbs and how to dispose of it if it should accidentally break.

Na wa o! I wonder what has gotten you so worked up. I never yapped you or your children, please read my post again. I was not even making particular reference to your children, I meant children generally do not change bulbs. It seems you have an emotional or
financial attachment to incandescent bulbs as you see insults where there are none.

I am not really a great fan of CFL (not because of any health concerns), but because I prefer LED lights. LED lights are far more efficient than CFL, they are more versatile and can produce light in full spectrum range. it does not flicker like CFL.

I have been researching lighting systems for a long time, so I know what I am talking about when I say the dangers of CFLs are grossly exaggerated. I even design and make my own LED lighting system for home use, which I will post the details later.

You did not even attempt to answer any of the questions I posed. Here they are again;

Which contains more mercury, CFL or 40ft fluorescent bulbs?

Why had there not been campaign against fluorescent bulbs which had been in use for decades?

Why is there no campaign against the use of batteries in cars, mobile phones, and personal electronics generally because they contain huge quantities of heavy metals like lead, nickel, cadium, etc.

I admit that disposal is a problem but so also are electronic components and numerous other products.

Here is a quote from http://www.cflfacts.com/ about popular myths concerning cfl.

I have read that CFLs contain mercury.  Is that correct?


Yes, all CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury, typically about 5 mg, which is 1/6000th of an ounce (mass).  If all the mercury were concentrated in one droplet, that droplet would have a diameter of only 1.1 mm, which is 0.042 inches.  Typical mercury-based fever thermometers contain 0.5 to 3 grams of mercury, which is 100 to 600 times as much mercury as a CFL that has 5 mg of mercury. Data on the mercury content of fever thermometers comes from: Mercury and the Environment - Sources of Mercury - Mercury Containing Products, a web site maintained by the Canadian government.

Doesn't disposal of mercury-based products harm the environment?


Yes, mercury is classified as a hazardous material by the US Environmental Protection Agency and CFLs should be recycled instead of being thrown out with the normal trash.  However, in many cases use of CFLs will offset mercury that would otherwise be introduced into the environment from other sources.  For example, coal contains mercury and this mercury is released into the environment when coal is burned to produce electricity.    If the electricity used to operate your lamps is generated from coal, and you operate 100-watt incandescent lamps for 10,000 hours, the power generating plant will release between 40 mg and 70 mg of mercury into the environment, depending upon the type of coal being used.  If instead of the 100-watt incandescent lamp, you use a 25-watt CFL, the power plant mercury emissions drop to between 10 and 18 mg over the same 10,000 hour period, again depending upon the type of coal used.  Even when the 5 mg of mercury in the CFL is added to the environment at the end of the lamp's 10,000 hours life, the total mercury from using the CFL is far less than using the incandescent lamp.  Mercury emissions will be lower for For lower power incandescent lamps and CFL replacements, but for any incandescent lamp of 40 watts or greater, there will be more mercury added to the environment by using an incandescent lamp than by using a CFL, assuming that the electricity used to operate both is generated by burning coal.