2015 was the hottest year on record dating back to 1880; 2014 the second hottest, 2010 third, 2013 fourth, and so on. There are numerous factors contributing to this — some of which are beyond the control of an average person. More so in Pakistan than in countries in the developed world.
The seasons, as we traditionally understand them, have changed significantly in the past few decades. Global catastrophes are too impersonal though, so I will propose solutions to situations that affect us on a personal level; keeping our houses cool in the summers, while shaving points of the bills.
There is a phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) — whereby urbanised areas are subject to warmer environments than rural areas. This is because of constantly-running air conditioners as well as internal combustion engines producing heat under the scorching sun.
A lot of heat coming in, none going out — like an oven. We are being slow cooked by our own machinations.
What you can do to combat UHI
1. Paint your roof white
This solution pays off immediately — ideally employing a 3mm weather proof variety of paint. For reasons lost to time, a typical Pakistani house has one side coated in black tar, sometimes even the roof.
If you have a roof that is any shade which is not light/reflective, it will create an oven-like effect by trapping heat inside the structure — especially when that colour is black.
Examine: Painting buildings white can mitigate heat island effect in cities: expert
In that case, if your roof is directly under the sun (as is the very purpose of one), you will have to run the air conditioner or your room's air cooler much longer to neutralise the temperature.
Painting it white/reflective will return up to 90 per cent of the sun’s light (along with its heat), creating almost the same temperature indoors as outdoors, eliminating heat trapping. This means you will either not need an AC/cooler, or at least far less. In short: Light reflective colours cool your house down.
Watch the video below.
On a larger scale — a study claims that every 1,000 square feet (92 square metres) of roofs painted white can offset 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. So, if for example, we paint 2500km2 of roofs in Karachi (estimated covered area), it would be the equivalent of taking 2,242,480 cars off the road for 20 years.
An initiative on that scale could even help mitigate heatwaves like the one that killed over 1,000 people last year. That is very little effort to save both lives as well as money.
2. Vegetation
This one is a little easier to understand but harder to execute. Trees suck in carbon-dioxide and give off oxygen. A natural cleanse, if you will.
On a national scale, we shave Islamabad’s green belt to make way for a signal-free corridor — which, ironically, is marketed as energy efficient due to fewer traffic lights. So information about that is not commonly available.
In a private capacity, however, the solution is to grow as much vegetation as possible in areas of your house that are in direct contact with sunlight. There are entire departments (e.g. agricultural offices) dedicated to guiding you on what to grow, when to grow it and how to grow it.
See: Keeping temperatures down
Your aim is to have something green in order to intercept sunlight. This particular venture is not as novel as painting one’s roof, nor is the pay off as immediate, but, on top of obstructing heat, it adds fresh oxygen to the atmosphere. Effectively healing as it conserves. It costs time and energy, but not a lot of money.
Growing fruit plants has the added advantage of providing you with something healthy to munch on.
The importance of trees is not alien to anyone, however, their utilisation beyond mere decoration is sparse in modern homes (big and small). There are entire websites dedicated to decorating your exterior with an emphasis on energy efficiency.
3. Unplug anything that isn’t currently in use
This applies to chargers, appliances, electronics, etc. Despite its popularity, this particular information is almost never seen in effect in any home. Granted you save merely Rs100, Rs200, Rs500 tops but that is money you are paying for something you didn’t use.
Why would you just give your money up like that?
As the old adage goes, every drop counts and even if we can afford anything, it is important to remember that we are drawing from limited resources to begin with.
4. Inspect for energy vampires
Get a local electrician to come to your house and test which part of your house is using extra power and why. It is common for older houses (older wires, rusty sockets, et al.) to use up extra watts just for carrying electricity through them — like trying to water your garden with a leaky pipe.
Fix those leaks and you are looking at a more energy efficient home. This procedure is almost never invasive and you will not require an overhaul of your household piping.
5. Mind the power curfew
On top of the curfew enforced on us every few hours, there is another schedule listed on the back of our electricity bill.
This schedule states the time slots for when the metre runs faster and when it goes back to normal. These normal hours are where you should focus any energy-intensive activities like ironing, recharging, vacuuming, any motors that you use, etc.
Take a look: Reduce your electricity bills
If your off-peak hours reside between 6pm and 10pm, you know which activities to schedule when. You could even wait for this slot to run any errands, buying you more safe time.
6. Crack a window every now and again
You will notice that we are no longer at the bleeding edge of science now, but this advice seems to be lost on quite a few. If you are in a well-ventilated area, consider letting fresh air through the windows before resorting to the all mighty air-conditioner.
At the very least, see if natural light suits your needs before you power on some bulbs. This advice does not apply to most office spaces, but with filtered vents running through the establishment, it is possible to ease off the pressure over time.
7. Tally the bill
This is advice that I was given from the officer in charge of reading my metres. Note down your metre, or take a picture, every week and make sure the numbers tally up when you receive the bill. It is not uncommon for the bill to have errors in measuring one’s units consumed.
This is applicable even to your gas metre. If there is any discrepancy, you should take it to your nearest office. They are surprisingly compliant when it comes to these matters.
It might take you an extra trip, but any overcharged amount is subtracted from your next bill. It is an imperfect system, so you are required to clear that bill before such a measure can take place.
Conservation really comes down to individuals. In an ideal world, everyone would do their part and the country’s energy demand will be accommodated which, in turn, means we don’t have to rely on any politicians to leverage our current power woes for votes (we are still desperate for that).
As a civilisation, we are taciturn experts at circumlocution, so we will argue and dodge as if this issue has two sides, but we all know that the only reasonable thing would be to make sure we can get at least a single solitary day without power failure in any part of the country and make our way up from there.
These personal efforts might just end up saving lives. A little paint, plants and responsibility is a fair price.