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ShareBanglore: While the rest of the city is fretting over erratic power supply and long hours of power cuts, here is one house in the city that has managed to remain untouched by the electricity woes that have become synonymous with Bangalore.
For, this house on Bannerghatta Road runs on solar energy generated through solar photo-voltaic panels.
Built by M Chockalingam, a businessman,the house, spread over 3,000 square feet of area in Classic Orchards, Hulimavu on Bannerghatta Road, has been running on solar power for three years now, without seeking electricity connection from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).
The house is illuminated with compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Further, cured mud blocks and rubber wood have been used in the construction of
the house and only 7% of the construction material used is cement.
Chockalingam said that the architecture of the house has been influenced by the Harappan style.
It has an open courtyard which receives plenty of sunlight and all the rooms are well-ventilated.
The windows and the doors are made of recycled material like car doors and old panes which have been polished.
Speaking on the sidelines of 'Making our homes environmentally just' workshop held by the Environment Support Group and Karnataka State Council for Science and
Technology, Chockalingam said: "It is not difficult to construct an eco-friendly home and it is economically viable also. All one has to do is change their lifestyle to some extent. Use fridge, TV, lights, computer and fan only when necessary.
Each appliance in the house has been so purchased as to ensure that they can be run on solar energy. I have spent Rs800 per square feet for constructing this house, as against the usual Rs1,200 per sq ft. Recycled furniture and wash basins have been used."
