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Michaela Muscat
There’s no problem that if neglected, cannot become a crisis. And the years of total disregard of environmental factors in the building industry is contributing to the detriment of the environment as well as manifesting itself in exorbitant electricity and water bills. Professor Edward Mallia, a physicist at the University of Malta, is of the opinion that the Maltese population only decreases its consumption when “whipped by increasing costs.”
As someone who practices what he preaches, Mallia has installed several energy-saving devices in his home. Mallia says “installing timers with water-geysers, switching from filament bulbs to compact fluorescent, as well as not leaving all of the appliances on stand-by all day, saves a copious amount of energy.”
Cheap insulation is also mentioned by means of polystyrene. Mallia does not beat around the bush: “the slightly higher capital costs will save a lot on recurring costs. People hesitate because they expect instant payback when it will obviously take a few years. But either way in the long run it will be worth it.”
The draft document “Conservation of Fuel, Energy and Natural Resources” launched by the Minister for Resources and Infrastructure, Ninu Zammit, is an attempt to right these habitual wrongs that have become ingrained in Maltese society.
The minister addressed architects and engineers at a jam-packed conference room: “this document is part of the government’s strategy for sustainable development to encourage better use of natural resources,” Zammit said.
Malta has to adopt the EU directive on better use of energy in buildings by January, but in true Maltese style it is likely that it will be delayed – by a period of three years.
Mallia in fact states: “this directive is being implemented with gritted teeth.” He also adds that some of the factors mentioned like having to build a well with every house are already part of Maltese law. The fastidious academic also points out illegalities practiced by unscrupulous architects: “rainwater that falls on roofs should not be allowed to drain into the public sewer but should be collected in wells.”
But a number of architects disregard this law and it often leads to flooding in areas like Lija and outside San Anton. The grey fountains sprouting out of sewers are the cause of the awful smell immediately after a heavy rainstorm.
Collecting rainwater in wells is also one of the solutions that the academic offers to lower costs. One of his self-evident proposals is that since well water is less hard. This implies that automatically less detergent will be needed because soap and detergents will lather more easily. Hard water has more calcium and magnesium minerals, meaning that it makes it ‘harder’ for lather to be produced, so more soap and detergent would be needed.
To adhere to the directive, each member state has to establish standards for new buildings and those undergoing major changes. They also have to develop a methodology to measure energy use, an energy efficiency certification system and a system of regular inspections of boilers and air conditioning systems.
Foreign architects are accustomed to employing techniques that ensure the maximisation of the surroundings including the climate. But their Maltese counterparts often complain that they are restricted by their clients and speculators who are only interested in constructing the maximum amount of buildings in the allotted space – at the lowest cost – often forgoing style and most certainly concerns of an environmental nature. Mallia agrees with these architects. He says: “the client often commands the architect. A case in point is the double wall that was customary before the 1960s. Since then it kept on becoming narrower to increase the size of the rooms with the consequence that it does not fulfil its proper role.”
The Chairman of the Building Industry Consultative, Robert Musumeci, who was also present at the meeting, is pleased that “the spirit behind the BICC guidelines published in 2002 has been carried forward in the proposed guidelines.”
The detailed document is clearly geared for professionals. Besides the mandatory sections on fuel and power conservation and solar overheating, it delves into specifics such as calculating u values, meeting lighting standards and conservation of rainwater.
Minister Ninu Zammit said that according to the research conducted in this field, if standards and specification are adhered to in the construction industry, around 20 per cent of the present energy consumption could be decreased till the year 2010. Mallia says that according to studies the same amount can be saved if appliances are not left on stand-by.
Musumeci says “the success of these regulations should be governed by a self-regulation framework, where architects shall assume the technical responsibility to ensure that these measures are implemented, similar to the current rationale adopted for structural integrity of buildings where they assume the responsibility responsibility to ensure solutions are in place.”
BICC played a participatory role during its formulation and its chairman is of the opinion that “the document is more relevant, since it reinforces the general thrust to opt for alternative energy solutions. This document is pending public consultation, and all engineers and architects were urged to submit their views at this stage, since they are the prime movers of these regulations.”
mmuscat@mediatoday.com.mt
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