To lower carbon levels in the residential sector, TEPCO promotes electrification by using high-efficiency heat pump appliances, and strives to increases awareness of energy-saving life styles.
Air conditioning (heating) and water heating account for more than 40% of CO2 emissions from the home, and holds the key to CO2 reduction in the residential sector. Our initiatives for reducing CO2 in the residential sector focus on promoting all-electric homes that incorporate heat pump appliances, such as Eco Cute water heaters and air conditioners.
Breakdown of CO2 emission sources in the home
Source:
Based on data from the National Institute for Environmental Studies
Among home appliances that incorporate a heat pump, Eco Cute water heaters can more significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to conventional water heaters, and have a larger effect on reducing CO2 emissions in the residential sector. As a result of actively promoting Eco Cute water heaters since its commercialization in FY2001, a cumulative total of some 600,000 Eco Cute systems have been installed in our service area by the end of FY2009.
All-electric homes are environmentally advantageous homes that incorporate Eco Cute water heaters and other heat pump appliances, and have a roughly 23% greater CO2 emissions reduction potential compared to homes powered by gas and electricity.
Comparison of CO2 emissions (gas & electricity powered homes, all-electric homes)
Calculation conditions
1. Building condition: 2-story wooden single-family house, with a 4LDK layout occupying about 122 m2 2. Family composition: 4 members 3. Insulation performance: Equivalent to next-generation energy saving standard for region IV 4. Yearly load: Cooling: 8.0 GJ/year; heating: 6.3 GJ/year; floor heating: 2.4 GJ/year; cooking appliances: 2.0 GJ/year; water heating: 20.1 GJ/year; 24-hour ventilation, etc.: 1.6 GJ/year; lighting outlets: 10.8 GJ/year 5. CO2 emission intensity: Electricity 0.324 kg-CO2/kWh (FY2009 TEPCO performance); city gas (Order for Enforcement of the Law Concerning the Promotion of Measures to Cope with Global Warming) 6. Equipment efficiency [Gas & electricity powered homes] cooling (air conditioner): 4.23, heating (air conditioner) 4.56, floor heating (latent heat-recovery water heater): 0.87, cooking (gas stove): 0.56, water heater (latent heat-recovery water heater): 0.95; [All-electric homes] cooling (air conditioner): 4.23, heating (air conditioner): 4.56, floor heating (heat pump water heater): 3.73, cooking (IH cooking heater): 0.90, water heating (Eco Cute): 3.2
All-electric homes keep indoor air clean at all times, because no combustion gas or steam is released. This means that all-electric systems can provide optimum comfort even to well-insulated homes that are designed for maximum energy efficiency.
Recognized not only for their environmental performance but also for the advantages of comfortable living it can bring to energy-efficient homes, all-electric homes have become more and more popular in recent years, so that there are now as many as 740,000 all-electric homes in TEPCO’s service area, as of March 31, 2009.
All-electric homes can achieve greater CO2 emissions reduction when combined with residential photovoltaic systems that have become increasingly popular in recent years.
Twin Solar makes efficient use of electricity generated from sunlight during the day and uses ambient air that has been heated by the sun to boil water during the night efficiently. By maximizing the advantages of renewable energy, the system can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 56% compared to homes powered by both gas and electricity.
To contribute to realizing a low-carbon society, we are actively promoting the dissemination of the Twin Solar combination of residential photovoltaic systems and the Eco Cute water heaters as an advanced form of the all-electric home.
Overview of the Twin Solar system
Comparison of CO2 emissions (gas & electricity powered homes, all-electric homes + 3kW photovoltaic system)
Calculation conditions
1. Building specification, 2. Family composition, 3. Insulation performance, 4. Yearly load, 5. CO2 emission intensity, 6. Equipment efficiency: see the calculation conditions for “Comparison of CO2 emissions (gas & electricity powered homes, all-electric homes)” at left, 7. Solar power generation: 3,000 kWh/year
We try to communicate the advantages of all-electric homes to as many customers as possible through active provision of information.
As part of this effort, we provide information through our Switch! Station all-electric information showrooms, which have received visits by many customers to date. In FY2009, we also opened experienced-based Switch! Station showrooms in Yamanashi prefecture, Kawagoe, Takasaki, and Omiya Cities under a completely new concept. These showrooms let customers actually "see, touch, and experience" all-electric appliances, as well as allow us to "promote all-electric homes in collaboration with professional users in the housing industry." Today, we operate Switch! Stations in 20 locations (as of March 31, 2010), with future plans to establish more of these showrooms throughout our service area.
Switch! Station
[Switch! Station]: www.switch-station.com/ (Japanese only)
In order to realize a low-carbon society, each and every individual needs to be aware of CO2 emissions in daily life, understand the reduction effects of various measures in quantitative terms, and take action as appropriate to their lifestyles.
TEPCO utilizes TV commercials, pamphlets, websites, and various events to provide helpful information on achieving lifestyles that are comfortable and energy efficient at the same time, such as tips on how to select and use electric products based on in-house surveys and tests, and to provide tools that help "visualize" CO2 emissions. By doing so, we not only provide our customers an opening to begin making voluntary energy-saving efforts, but also support the continuation of these efforts, to promote energy-saving lifestyles.
Denko-chan Energy Conservation Handbook
Guidebooks for comfortable living
As a tool to help customers begin energy-saving and CO2 reduction activities from the immediate surroundings of their home, we offer a tool called Denko's Environmental Household Account, composed of the "Energy Saving Life Navigation" and "CO2 Household Account" programs, on our website.
Energy Saving Life Navigation calculates household CO2 emissions from basic household information and monthly energy usage, and displays the emission rate of each energy application, such as air conditioning and water heating, and energy-saving advice based on the results. It also judges the "ecological level" of a household based on a comparison with the average similar household, as well as allows customers to simulate the effects that can be anticipated by renewing household electric appliances.
CO2 Household Account lets customers keep track of household CO2 emissions by entering their monthly usage amounts and payments of electricity, gas, and other utilities. This program has also spread among TEPCO employees, so that there are now 16,982 employee users, as of March 31, 2010.
Denko’s Environmental Household Account website (Japanese only)
CO2 Diet Declaration is a program for preventing global warming by widely inviting people to pledge energy saving activities and donating tree seedlings in proportion to the number of participants it gains. From the program's commencement in August 2004 to March 2010, some 2.38 million participants, including local governments, NGOs and NPOs, private companies, and schools, have pledged to reduce approximately 176,000 tons of CO2.
Some of the seedlings have been donated to the Mount Fuji Afforestation Project sponsored by the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual, and Cultural Advancement (OISCA), in support of its forest regeneration initiative.
CO2 Diet Declaration" website (Japanese only)
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