Leonard Butler, a director of Eco-Tec, explains how this solar refrigerator works.
-Patrick CampbellDenise Clarke, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHAT IF you could make your house 30 per cent cooler, simply by giving it a coat of paint? Or what if you could significantly reduce your electricity bill by purchasing a few devices?
Simple solutions such as energy-saving light bulbs and solar water heaters, to more complex ones like home power units or insulated building products are available through a small company called Eco-Tec in Bluefields, Westmoreland.
According to Maikel Oerbekke, one of the directors, the energy saving process begins right at the start of construction. "At that moment, you can choose a product that will insulate and ventilate the building. A cooler building will need less air conditioning or fan, it is a more cost efficient standard of living."
HOW IT WORKS
A device made from Styrofoam and plastic acts as building block. Cement is poured in between the pieces of Styrofoam held together by strips of plastic. It gives flexibility to the design of the building, Mr. Oerbekke explained, and keeps heat out while keeping the inside cool. The roof is made from a recycled shingle made from garbage and old tyres. Next, the building is coated with a radiant-barrier paint that repels the sun's rays, thereby keeping it cooler. Energy saving bulbs, solar water heaters and water filtration systems, add to the energy efficiency of the house.
The company says it plans to begin local assembly of a solar home energy unit for remote areas without electricity by early next year. The unit would store solar energy into a battery, which transmits it into electricity.
Mr. Oerbekke, along with his partner Leonard Butler, source environmentally friendly products from Germany, China and the US. The paint, bulbs, and solar water systems are already on the Jamaican market through dealers in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
"We look for possibilities that people in Jamaica can afford," said Mr. Oerbekke. "We want to help people cut savings, and make their houses more energy efficient."
