What is in your Cleaning Agents?

While we do talk about how to make use of energy and water more efficiently, cleaning agents need to be looked upon as well. Cleaning agents such as detergents and similar may contain chemicals that are toxic to the environment.

Products using bleach or chlorine are some of the biggest environmental culprits. These products, when used, will have to be flushed out of the system to the environment. When it comes to the corresponding effect, it can be very devastating.

Other products that can damage the environment found in household cleaners are some strong solvents, muriatic acids, and others. Some of them are actually carcinogenic!

Therefore, it is imperative that a greener home uses green cleaning products as well. Try to look for plant based cleaners, or use some traditional cleaners from mother nature, as we have to consider our indoor home as an environment as well. What is bad for the environment, is bad for those inhabiting accordingly.

Philippine Water Crisis - An Important Time to Consider Water Savings

Several important factors has to be further considered now that the water crisis that is being discussed has become even more critical. The lack of regulations in many plumbing issues has made households and buildings inefficient with their water consumption, that becomes a major contributor in the current water crisis. A regular household with better awareness on efficient water systems and usage can easily save up to 70% on their water consumption. If there is a good awareness campaign, this will create a larger volume of savings for the entire Metro Manila accordingly.

One of the largest water consumers in residential situations are shower heads. Current shower heads in the Philippines consume 4.5 Gallons Per Minute. Using water efficient (not low flow) shower heads give the same water volume as low flow but with good pressure, therefore not sacrificing comfort. This can cut down 40% of water usage.

Checking houses for water leaks is just as important. Leak is water that is being completely wasted by inefficient joints or faucets. Check all joints for leaks, check the toilet bowl for leaks (which happens in the flapper most of the time), and most importantly, the faucets as well.

For commercial establishments, it is even more important now to focus on waterless urinal solutions. It is best to choose waterless urinals that do not require replacing urinals. They then become more cost effective, and more environmental accordingly.

In the end, whatever we can do to help alleviate the water crisis will be to our own benefit as well.

Understanding Cooling Systems

We all use air conditioners to cool our homes and facilities. We need air conditioners to remain productive, since our body needs a cooler environment.

Human bodies burn calories through activity and due to this activity our body produces heat. The heat produced by our body makes it necessary to cool its own, otherwise, it overheats. For the body to be cooled, we have to follow the basic law of heat transfer, which is. heat transfers to a cold place, until a unified temperature is achieved.

But keeping a facility too cold produces another problem. too much cold and the body uses more energy to heat itself up. This is done through movements such as shivering.

Given the above, it was discovered that while everyone has their own healthy or optimal room temperature, the average comfortable temperature is between 24 to 26 degrees celcius.

So, we now know that we need a comfortable room to keep our bodies healthy and productive, and that magic number is 26 degrees celcius. But, how much air conditioner do I need?

For this, we need to get the room dimensions. Take the height, length, and width of a room. We can start off with an example that a room may have a 10 foot ceiling, have an 15 foot length, and 15 foot width. The total room size is 2250 cubic feet.

1 British Thermal Unit (BTU) can raise 55 cubic meters of space by 1 degree farenheit. If the room is 2250 cubic feet, raising it by 1 degree farenheit will require 40 BTU. We will need this to establish how hot is the room before cooling. If the outside temperature is 32 degrees celcius, and we want to bring it to 26 degrees celcius, 6 degrees celcius is equivalent to 42.8 degrees farenheit  (F=(C*1.8)+32)

42.8 degrees farenheit multiplied by 40 gives us 1,712 BTU to cool a room from scratch. If the room insulation is good against outside temperature, then there should be minimal effort by the air conditioner to keep the room cool against outside temperature.

We have to remember that while our house might have good walls and everything, any heat leak will bring in heat to the house, and that insulations merely delay heat transfer, not stop heat transfer. Case in point, it takes a long time to heat a brick to boiling hot compared to metal, but you will still be able to heat a brick. Windows are one of the poorest barriers of heat, and dark exterior colors help bricks absorb more heat.

Let us now take in how much heat each person produces.
A sleeping person produces around 250 BTU/hr or 75 watts
A sedentary but awake person produces around 400 BTU/hr or 120 watts
A person doing light work produces around 650 BTU/hr or 190 watts
A person doing heavy work produces around 2400 BTU/hr or 700 watts

We have to determine what are the activities that will transpire in the room. Is it a bedroom? A gym? An office?

For the sake of this example, let's take that the room is an office, with light work, and has 3 people who each produces 650 BTU/hr. This equates to 1,950 BTU/hr

Let us now take electricity. Every watt of energy used would create 3.412 BTU of heat A room with computers, light, and other appliances, produces a lot of heat accordingly. 5 40 watt bulbs and 2 180 watt computers will produce 1,911 BTU per hour.

Total BTU/hr produced by electric appliances and human activity equates to 3,861 BTU

The total starting BTU for a well insulated room is 5,563 BTU/hr or 92 BTU/min, but a room does not necessarily need to cool itself instantly. Therefore, we can take the 92 BTU/min requirement.

The initial room cooling startup will be around 1.8 kwh of electricity. After that, the required BTU will substantially decrease due to good room insulation.

Each horsepower is 745 watts. You may not need a large air conditioner to cool a room, since it is the initial shift of temperature is the primary concern. It would be best that the usual need + 50% would be considered, but then again, it is all dependent on design and strategy for implementing the room cooling system.

The value of good insulation is hopefully established by this literature, and as discussed, keep the room temperature at 26 degrees and help save the planet. Each degree can mean a lot in terms of electricity and carbon emissions

Understanding Carbon Footprint

One of the most confusing concepts on going green is the carbon footprint. People usually read about low carbon emissions or certain preferred products, but how does low carbon footprint work?

Carbon footprint is actually no different from understanding how money works. If you were to buy a television for USD 200 that lasts one year compared to a USD 500 that lasts 5 years, the monthly cost of the "cheaper television" is actually USD 16.67 compared to the "more expensive television" costing USD 8.34 a month. Carbon footprint works in a similar function.

There are 2 major basic questions asked before purchasing a product.
1. What is the starting carbon footprint and how long will the product last?
2. What is the carbon footprint of maintaining the product?

There are certain products that might have more processing at the start but it may last a lot longer, and have a lower maintenance cost. It is just as important to see what is the operating resource requirement of the product to better understand what will the product maintenance entail.

There are now more and more resources available online on what are the carbon footprints of some very popular products. Do the due diligence to ensure that whatever product that has to be used gets used wisely, and does not cost the earth to keep and use.

5 Essential Tips on How not to Waste Energy

While we have been promoting positive affirmations on the importance of going green, we have realized that there is an importance on the do nots as well. Here is a brief run down of how not to waste energy.

1. Do not keep non-essential appliances on standby - Conservation energy rules dictates that appliances that have a standby function do take a lot of electricity (especially appliances made at least 5 years ago). Do not leave appliances on standby when not in use and enjoy the savings later.

2. Do not be left unaware of your energy consumption - people who do not use energy meters end up on the losing end as people who do not monitor their own energy tend to consume up to 20% more energy than the rest. Get an energy meter and manage your energy consumption.

3. Do not keep old Air conditioners - It might have been a gift, but if it is more than 10 years old, a new airconditioner will pay itself off in less than a year.

4. Do not use incandescents - CFL have become so cheap that using incandescents is illogical. switch to energy efficient lighting and save that money that can go to a new shirt.

5. Do not leave water dispensers plugged overnight - Water dispensers can consume up to 400 watts per hour. When not needed, might as well keep it unplugged. Better yet, get a regular water dispenser and keep water bottles in refs.

10 Minor Lifestyle Changes for a Greener Future

We have previously discussed on 10 things one can do to have a greener home, but some minor lifestyle changes can also create a positive impact on how we can become greener citizens. These simple habits, when shared to others, will have a major impact in the environment.

1. Choose to Walk, Bike, Commute, or Carpool - Cars with only one user means a high personal carbon footprint. It is usually better to walk to a place 15 minutes away or even bike if the distance is longer. If it is possible to have neighbors who work in the same area to join, do a carpool. Commute is a good idea as long as smoke belching vehicles are avoided.

2. Throw trash in proper areas - Throwing trash on the road will lead trash to the rivers through the sewage system, if not, it will clog the drain. Throw trash in their proper receptacles (paper, plastic, etc) and do our part to have a better environment.

3. Paper or Plastic? Choose none when you can carry it by hand in a convenience store.

4. Take the Stairs - It is not easier said than done, because it is easy. Take the stairs if the person you have to visit is up to 3 floors up. It is also good for the health.

5. Keep a Reusable Water Bottle - Going to the gym or at work? Stop buying bottled water when you can stick to reusable bottles. It is cheaper over time, and does our landfills a huge favor.

6. Buy Green - Make the conscious choice of buying green products over others, this will force companies to go green. Show your support to those who are going green and keep them motivated.

7. Turn off lights even when in a public place - Ever go to a restaurant toilet and find the lights on? Many toilets are good for one person and closing the light after you leave will not only help the restaurant reduce their energy bill, but you are helping make the environment greener.

8. Use reusable bags for groceries - There are many reusable bags available at a low price. They become multi purpose and reduce the need for plastic.

9. Patronize green establishments - Establishments who have made an effort to go green needs your support to encourage others to see that they too have to go green. Otherwise, give suggestions to your neighborhood restaurant to take green steps.

10. Spread the word - Going green means getting everyone to go green. Spread the word and let it spread. This will increase the impact.

Hand Towels or Hand Dryers? Which is more Environmental? Which is more Economical?

Public toilets are still popularly using hand towels due to the assumed fact that hand dryers are found to be expensive due to energy. Not only that, hand dryers have been found to be not as effective in drying hands, and worse yet, maintenance cost is quite high especially for the lower end hand dryers.

While the above all sound logical, many points with regards to environmental concerns, aside from economic concerns, have not been addressed. Facility owners and managers simply do not have data on how much does it truly cost to use hand towels and hand dryers. The lack of information definitely poses a risky and flawed decision.

According to Manhattan Green Solutions on their research, the cost of hand towels per piece is Php 0.22 and that 2 hand towels are typically taken from the dispenser to dry hands. More importantly, the environmental impact of hand towels is very high, given that trees have to be cut, which encourages deforestation.

Regular hand dryers are better in terms of cost at Php 0.27 per use, but the annual maintenance cost of replacing the button or the heating coil makes this both an economic and environmental nightmare. Worse, regular hand dryers are not perfect in drying hands, causing users to be either frustrated, or choose to get hand towels after to dry hands.

While this is a major quagmire that has been faced by facility owners, new technologies have made hand dryers more efficient. New Eco Friendly Hand dryers have been developed with some of the most amazing results.

First and foremost, Eco Friendly hand dryers like Veltia only consume Php 0.06 per use of energy, the lowest of its class, and definitely the most economical compared to tissue and regular hand dryers.

The use of high power wind at the speed of a hurricane "sweeps" water off the hands rather than trying to evaporating it, making it substantially more effective in drying hands, resulting to satisfied customers who will not need the use of hand towels.

Another interesting feature which is found in many proper hand dryers is the touch free system. The removal of parts to be touched or operated on by users mean substantially lesser maintenance cost. In fact, maintenance cost is close to zero for the first 5 years.

The resulting analysis, coupled with time saving of 80%, makes new eco friendly hand dryers more beneficial. While these hand dryers might have a higher start up cost, Return on Investment is usually less than 2 years.

In pursuit of going green, it is usually found that there is a large economic benefit in upgrading to a newer technology since it uses lesser resources over its lifespan. It does indeed pay to go green.

Defining Green

There is a strong rising importance for different organizations to go green. The focal point of going green has mainly attributed to a better understanding of ecological cost aside from economic cost.


But there are some more important points to be brought out when "going green" is discussed. Green is not just choosing products with a "green" label, it is a lifestyle, and a thought process, that makes us reflect on the very basic point. ECOLOGICAL COST.


Ecological cost's currency is carbon footprint. But just like in economics, Dollars is not the only denomination. In ecological sense, there is an addition of the different types of toxic chemicals, the efficient use of nature in keeping environmental balance, and the overall positive lifestyle impact. If we take all these things into consideration, it may sound overwhelming, but it actually is very simple.




Some important pointers to understand are the following...


- Going green means using products that can be disposed without causing harm to the environment. If the product being disposed on land can kill a human, then it is toxic and not environmental.


- Less is more with going green. Lesser packaging, lesser maintenance, and longer life (meaning, lesser replacements) makes something more environmental.


- In many situations, if it makes ecological sense, it actually makes economical sense. By using less resources, we put less burden on the environment, and since less resources is used, then our cost of consumption goes down as well. Going green is using less energy, using less water, using less fuel.


I have talked to a few very notable individuals whose aim is to sincerely go green in their different facilities. It is encouraging to discover that people really do want to go green. This is not just for the marketing opportunity, but most importantly, due to the understanding that the environment does matter. Many have opted to better understand their energy consumption by understanding how to manage their energy. They now look into reducing water consumption through sincere waterless urinal system or low water consumption showerheads. They also now understand how much their lighting can contribute to their energy bill. This impact can now be managed and looked into.


What is found to be impressive is that the simplest things do make a startling difference. One of the facilities currently uses a drinking water fountain with a water filtration system to reduce or eliminate the need for bottles for water. They have also taken the initiative to put plants within the facility to improve air quality.


In many cases, some of the simplest renovations do make a big impact as well. Looking for heat leaks within the facility and eliminating them reduces the load for cooling machineries. Increasing the temperature of the cooling system by 2 degrees, up to 27 or 28 degrees, does make a large impact on energy savings. Fixing leaks in toilets also save a lot of money aside from valuable water. These important facets in design create and contribute to a more environmental workplace.


Aside from choosing the right products and fixing areas of concern, lifestyle also has to adapt an environmental attitude. Wireless energy monitoring systems help determine the current energy consumption and be better managed from its source. It was noted that people who are aware of their energy consumption can save up to 20% on energy consumption. But it even goes further, taking 2 minutes less in the showerhead can save a lot of money and energy as well, up to 300 watt hours on heating and 4 gallons of water on efficient showerhead systems. They might sound like minor adjustments, but they do create a large impact on our lifestyle.


Going green, therefore, is an awareness, it is a new insight that has to be understood that another dimension does exist when it comes to our lifestyle. It is a decision, an option, but a very rewarding one. After all, our own decisions become our own impact. Going green is not just a lifestyle to save the Earth, it is a lifestyle to save ourselves.

The Impact of Water Heaters to the Environment

One of the most deceiving equipments people least think about are residential water heaters. The Philippines typically use Electric Water Heaters in heating water for showers. But the question is, is there a big electricity cost in using electric water heaters? Is there a big impact in our Environment? Is there an environment concern in using electric water heaters that we do not know of?

Let us start off with the following computation for everyone's better understanding of how is energy computed for electric water heaters.

We first have to start off with how much BTU do we need to raise our water temperature to the desired level.

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, it presents how much energy is required to raise 1 pound of water up by 1 degree Farenheit.

Remember that 1 Gallon of water is 8.337 pounds.

And an Electric Water Heater needs 4.9 Kilowatt hours to produce 16,600 BTU.

As an example, a typical shower head in the Philippines can consume 3.5 Gallons Per Minute to 5 Gallons Per Minute.

Gallons Per Minute is the amount of water a shower head uses in 1 minute.

With one of the clients I have worked with, their showerhead was consuming 4.8 Gallons per minute.

Their water before being heated is 20 degrees Celcius (68 Farenheit)

The optimal water temperature for a shower for my client was 38 degrees Celcius (100.4 Farenheit)

They needed to raise water temperature by 32.4 degrees Farenheit.

So, 32.4 degrees Farenheit, multiplied by 8.337 pounds per gallon, totals 270.119 BTU Per Gallon


Their showerhead at 4.8 GPM therefore needs 1,296.53 BTU Per Minute.


That is equivalent to an energy consumption of 0.38 kwh for heating water per minute

In monetary terms, at Php 9.5 per kwh, it costs Php 3.61 for hot water PER MINUTE.

An eco friendly showerhead using 1.2 GPM would cost Php 0.85 per minute of shower.

Therefore, Electric Water Heaters using conventional showerheads would actually cost Php 2.75 PER MINUTE more than eco friendly showerheads.

Besides the economic cost, each Kilowatt of Energy used in the Philippines has carbon emissions of 0.59 kilos.

While this sounds small, a person taking a 10 minute shower a day would end up with 600 Kilos of CO2 a year in the atmosphere more than necessary. This is 600 kilos of carbon could have been saved by using an eco showerhead.


The above computation is designed to give everyone a bigger glimpse of what is the impact of electric water heaters.

But there is more.

Using centralized water heating means that water is being heated and reheated to keep a proposed optimal temperature. Ill designed pipings would mean that water keeps cooling, and therefore the heater needs to keep heating.

It is therefore vital that hot water pipes are well insulated to ensure water is always warm. Check the body of the centralized water heater for any loss of insulation and have it fixed.

The economic and environmental benefit of a well maintained water heater, paired with an efficient showerhead would create a big change that many have not even thought about. Try to rethink our use of resource and through better management we are thus taking positive steps to an environmental future

Environment Effects of Energy in the Philippines

The Philippines currently uses a higher ratio of fossil fuels as source of energy compared to other possible sources. The choice of using fossil fuels means every kilowatt of energy being consumed is equivalent to 0.59 kg of carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

What is the environmental impact of carbon emissions? Carbon emissions is one of the leading cause of Global Warming, as it absorbs and retains heat in the atmosphere. Worse yet, carbon emissions is also the leading cause of smog in many developed cities, which also leads to many diseases.

But carbon dioxide is also a vital ingredient for plants. Plants breathe carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, which we need. There has to be a balance if we want to live in a healthy environment.

What is more important and urgent when it comes to fossil fuels is not only the carbon emissions, but there are many other components in burning fossil fuels to the atmosphere that can cause more severe problems to health and the environment. There are part of Mercury, Sulfur, and other elements.

What then, is the best way to minimize the impact of energy to the environment? What is then the best way to save energy and only use what is needed?

The core point in this situation is to understand how much energy is being used in different parts of our infrastructure. Some of the most surprising points would be that water dispensers, which we only use for 1 hour a day at home, actually consumes 400 watts. Imagine the impact of a water dispenser for residential use. We might not feel or understand the source of this wasted energy, but it can use as much as the entire lighting being CFL at home.

Other areas of wasted energy are appliances put on "standby" and adaptors/chargers. Each charger left plugged in can consume around 3 watts of energy. Old appliances like entertainment systems left on standby can consume a whopping 20 watts of energy, a surprising blow given that majority of these appliances are used up to 3 hours a day maximum.

It is therefore vital that energy is understood and monitored to know just how much energy is truly necessary in our facility/residence. Look for appliances that are not needed and unplug them. Get energy strips with switches that can be turned off for appliances rather than being left on standby.

You would be surprised. A well managed energy use not only saves the environment, but up to 20% of energy consumption.