ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – January 2014
WE'RE VERY RICH, REALLY!
Hello again, first of all...
I’ve been away from you all due to a hectic work schedule for a while. It’s a great pleasure to be back with you in our esteemed and beloved newspaper, Günışığı. I hope, just like in the past, we’ll continue meeting every Wednesday.
Although it may not feel like it in terms of excitement, we're in the middle of an election period. I hope this process continues in a way that befits our Elazığ. I wish success to all the candidates running in the race across the province (center, districts, and towns). I hope the best results for Elazığ will emerge from this.
This winter, for the first time, an important problem has emerged: electricity outages. Our country has a huge energy need, and the supply is not meeting the demand. If the solution is to purchase more energy from abroad, it must be known that this demand will continue to increase every year.
Now, don’t think that the demand will only increase because of population growth. No, the demand will increase even if the population stays the same. The reason is WASTE.
I’m not talking about wasting electricity; there’s much more than that. The use of natural gas in Turkey has significantly increased. Natural gas heating systems run on electricity.
The obvious question that comes to mind is: “It’s cold, shouldn’t we heat our homes?”
Of course, we’ll use our heating systems. But the problem is DESIGN.
Our region is a winter region. For about 4 months, temperatures are below zero. Therefore, building designs must take these conditions into account.
So, do we design buildings with these conditions in mind? Well...
Over the past 15 years, the size of windows in buildings has steadily increased, and eventually, the entire exterior of the buildings became glass.
Do these buildings heat up? Yes, they do, but at a cost that is approximately (and at least) 3-4 times higher compared to the old systems, in terms of natural gas and electricity consumption.
If you’re going to use glass on the exterior, you should design the walls inside and use the glass architecturally.
New office buildings, the ETSO building, new dormitory buildings, etc. — all of them seem to have been designed in a way that will consume the most energy.
Now, let’s think about the country as a whole. When you consider the number of buildings, the scale of energy waste becomes apparent.
This design approach is like betraying the country. (Let’s make the analogy a little harsh so that precautions are taken.)
If there’s any doubt about what I’ve written, one can compare the energy bills of those buildings with energy-efficient designs to those with glass exteriors.
This means that when you look closely, it’s possible to uncover the real causes.
You can build as many dams as you like, buy energy from abroad — it seems impossible to meet the energy demand of the buildings. The issue is not the amount of energy being insufficient, but the extravagant use of energy.
If we design buildings with an extravagant, "rich" mindset, we will experience even more power outages.