| |
 |
| |
Energy changes. |
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami last March have changed perceptions of energy consumption for most Japanese, with implications for household energy services throughout the country.
Consumers are implementing energy saving elements into their houses, such as solar power generation, the concept of all electric generated house energy and light emitting diode (LED).
Japan's energy consumption is supplied by the power companies or by in-house power generation, such as fuel cells generated by gas or organic fuel.
The power companies themselves have often encouraged consumers to apply the All Electric House concept, in which the only power supply (directly from the power companies or by solar power) is electricity which consumers use for lighting, cooking, bathing and all other energy usage.
Gas energy companies have an alternate approach, encouraging consumers to generate power in-house, by introducing so-called Ene-Farm, using a gas-fired, in-house power generator.
Before the disaster, the All Electric House led the industry, with the number of houses implementing the system in 2010 exceeding 550,000 units, while there were only 7,400 houses implementing an Ene-Farm system during that year.
Now, due to the power shortages, consumers have started to realise that it's risky to rely on only the power companies for electricity; there's been a shift to other options such as in-house solar power generation, Ene-Farm and in-house electricity storage systems.
In 2010, the number of houses installed with Ene-Farm gas capabilities was 7,400 units. That figure has now doubled and by the end of 2011, and will continue to grow to reach 600,000 units in 2020.
Solar energy is a system growing in popularity, with the government encouraging consumers to install solar power systems and subsidising part of the initial cost.
So, last year, 218,000 units were installed which was a 52.4% increment compared to 2009. But that figure is estimated to grow to 691,000 units in 2020.
Household electricity storage systems are also becoming more accepted. To enjoy low-priced midnight power and prepare for any emergency power shortage or blackout, people are investing.
This year, nearly 1,000 units have been installed, with more than 20,000 units expected to be purchased in 2020.
Winter energy saving products
Japanese companies have prepared energy-saving products in greater number and much earlier than in past years.
Corona Corporation, the leading manufacturer of kerosene heating appliances, has been flooded with requests for products from home centres and retail stores.
The company expects orders up 40% to 50% for the winter months. Electronics retail stores have been selling many kerosene heating appliances since the summer months.
Major electronics companies have been enhancing the production and sales of rechargeable and storage batteries. These products have been receiving great attention for both office and home emergency power sources in case of power outages.
In fact, many rechargeable products such as electric fans, televisions and PCs have launched and more rechargeable products are expected to be on the market.
Fashion firm Uniqlo released heat technology-driven, thermal underwear and expects to increase sales by 25% compared to last year.
Sogo department store started to sell warm apparel and fashion accessories, such as wool vests, stoles and gloves a month earlier than usual.
Demand for energy management
Energy management systems and services (EMS) are the name of the game in Japan's energy market.
Many EMS service providers have developed systems for The Cloud, in which users can monitor energy consumption in real time on the Internet.
Many of the systems allow users to monitor and control energy consumption off the premises, or even control the storage of energy.
EMS market size has leapt 66.7% compared to 2009 and is expected to hit US$1 billion in 2015, which is almost six times the market size of 2010.
from Ricky Fong and Miki Taguchi, Osaka Office
(Image courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/noririn)
