Japan: Eco-homes out of reach for many

Attention is increasingly focused on environmentally friendly eco-houses, which are designed to reduce energy consumption. But such dwellings remain out of reach for the general public, as government measures to promote such houses are insufficient. Let us examine the cost and energy-saving effect of eco-houses by looking into a few examples built by ordinary people.

In its project two years ago to promote eco-houses, the Environment Ministry provided a subsidy of 400,000 yen each to about 1,000 households that successfully met strict conditions such as switching over to a solar-powered electricity generator with more than 3 kilowatts of capacity, installing a highly efficient water heater, and adopting double-glazed windows and heat-insulation materials.
The ministry also launched a program last fiscal year for large-scale housing developments to promote reduced CO2 emissions on a community basis. One such project, at Yahata-Higashida district, Kitakyushu, involves the construction of two condominium buildings with 218 housing units. A 200-kilowatt-capacity solar-powered electricity generator will provide power for common areas of the condominiums. Outdoor lights will be powered by wind-generated power and sunlight, while permeable pavement that channels away rainfall will be installed. Each condo is equipped with double-glazed windows and a “peak cut” distribution switch that automatically halts an air conditioner when too much electricity is consumed. These energy-saving installations increased the total construction cost by 20 percent. But one-third of the increased portion will be compensated by subsidies.

Residents are the ultimate beneficiaries of the subsidy-backed projects, yet home builders and developers are the effective targets. There are currently no measures to encourage people to build or refurbish homes with energy-saving technologies and features.

The government established energy-saving standards for housing units in 1980 and bolstered them in 1992 and 1999. But according to the Architectural Institute of Japan, one-third of the nation’s 54 million housing units have not been equipped with energy-saving specs of any kind and a mere 2 percent cleared the latest 1999 standards.

Daily Yomiuri