Tokyo Gas Launches Smart House Test for Multi-Unit Residences

Tokyo Gas Co., a major gas supplier in Japan, announced on March 14, 2012, plans to launch this April a demonstration test for a smart house system targeting multi-unit residences. The test will be conducted as part of the Yokohama Smart City Project, one of four Next-Generation Energy and Social Systems Demonstration Areas being promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan.

Tokyo Gas constructed a four-story apartment building (24 units) for its employees in Isogo, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The building was equipped with a 25-killowatt photovoltaic power generation system, 10 square meters of SOLAMO solar thermal panels, and 10 Ene-Farm residential fuel cells, while sharing heat and electricity within the building. The company expects that introducing a distributed energy system like this can reduce primary energy consumption by about 40 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by about 30 percent from levels seen in an ordinary multi-unit residence.

The demonstration test will verify the energy-saving benefits of the innovative solutions implemented by building designers (distributed energy system and passive design using natural wind and light). At the same time, it will also confirm how displaying energy supply and demand visually using a home energy management system will encourage residents to behave in energy-efficient ways.

The company also used the fuel cells and storage batteries to set up an energy security system for the apartment building, which will supply power for necessary equipment like lighting during blackouts. The test will also verify the benefits of the energy security system.

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Posted: 2012/06/17 06:00:15 AM