AIR CONDITIONERS AND HOLLOW BRICKS
Many more savings are possible, in insulation properties of bricks. Hollow bricks not only need much less energy
in the firing process – bricks with 20 % holes have an accordingly lower mass than solid bricks – but their
in¬sulation property is considerably better. It is estimated that up to 5 % of air-conditioning energy could be
saved if a room is made of hollow instead of solid bricks. A small detail, perhaps, but it can make a lot of
difference : more and more urban middle-class families in the Asian mega-cities aspire to install
air-conditioners in their apart¬ments. This market is growing at 25 % per year and the coverage is still very
low, as only some 2 % of the popula¬tion have air-conditioners. Each family will consume some 7200 KWh of
electricity and produce some 6 tons of CO2 per year. If 5 % of this electricity can be saved, it will not
only reduce the stress on energy scarcity but also save some 12 tons of CO2 over the lifespan of the build¬ing.
It is very important, therefore, to look at better bricks from this angle and introduce better insulation
standards and minimum-energy building technologies, mainly in view of the rapid growth of this sector in Asia.