There’s a TV advert by Kenya Power of a man who strives by all means possible to cut down on his electricity bills. He prohibits ironing of clothes in his house, unscrews light bulbs from every room to prevent his family from accidentally leaving lights on, and where he permits light bulbs, he limits the duration of time one can have lights on. He does all this to cut down on his electricity bills.

That aside, how far would you go to cut down on your electricity consumption, making your home energy efficient?

Mandharini, a property developer, has become the first developer in Kenya to produce an International Energy Performance Rating for its homes. Mandharini homes use less than 50 per cent of the energy used by similar coastal homes. Each house uses solar water heaters, solar powered pool pumps, insulated windows and roofs and solar powered LED lighting.

The houses have been designed from the beginning to limit electricity consumption as much as possible. Its UPVC heat reflecting windows close like a bank vault, significantly lowering the amount of air conditioning needed to keep room temperatures just right.

According to Pralerts, majority of Kenyan home developers are yet to fully embrace the culture of building energy efficient homes, even after the Energy Regulatory Commission came up with energy regulations that require developers to incorporate solar systems in their house projects. This move sparked increased uptake of solar water heating and lighting, while reducing dependency on the main grid power. However, most property developers are yet to fully embrace energy efficiency as part of their homes from design. This lack of energy efficiency creates high energy use, which, in combination with high electricity costs, Kenya's electricity costs being amongst the most expensive in the world, creates high monthly costs for property owners.

Countries in Europe have fully embraced the culture of energy efficient homes. France in particular, has led by enacting a law that makes DPE certification a must for all homes whether for purchase or rentals. Such a move protects renters from incurring additional costs resulting from energy inefficiency.   

Should Kenya embrace the culture of energy efficient homes?