Halve, or do without
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07: Halve, or do without
I have introduced various ideas focusing on power consumption, but in order to dramatically reduce something, not just power consumption, it is necessary to drastically change the way we think.
I have been working in the field of architectural design, but in the design of houses, etc., when I get a construction estimate, it is about double the budget (this is likely to do typical Japanese architectural designer. The fact is that a design that fits within the stated budget is often made with construction that is less than the stated budget. For that reason, we select together with the client from the double score estimate, and the construction contractor. This is because the process of repeatedly negotiating and ingenuity to find out what is really necessary leads to lean, beautiful, easy-to-use, and cost-effective architecture)
At that time, what I am conscious of is the high effect of "halving", and the bold change of mindset to "do without". This is where the adaptability, responsiveness, flexibility and creativity of the inhabitants come into play.
"halve, or do without" These two things are big factors when you cut something.
For example, there is a recipe for a certain dish. The recipe says to use 2 teaspoons of salt, but I accidentally made it with just 1 teaspoon of salt, and it was still delicious enough. So the recipe for you is just one teaspoon of salt. Then, if you keep making the same dish, you'll be able to use a bottle of salt for twice as long. Alternatively, the amount of salt required is half a container of the product. It's simple arithmetic.
A reduction of 1/3 or 1/4 doesn't seem to be very effective. Find what you can reduce by at least half and what you can dare to eliminate. This is the trick.
If you apply this to power consumption and daily life tools, we can say that the products we have talked about so far, such as televisions, electric vacuum cleaners, lighting fixtures, hair dryers, etc., have a relatively large amount of electricity.
By eliminating or halving the number of "things that are always on", the monthly electricity should be greatly different. It's like getting up early, and it can be confusing and unfamiliar at first. However, after a certain period of time, a feeling of “freedom” or a feeling of liberation in which the things that depend on something diminishes will be delivered to you.