My OperaGreen vs non-green (cost comparison)
Friday, May 9, 2008 2:20:20 AM
The cost of BCIL homes works out to around Rs 1,250 per square foot. Sure, some extra plumbing is needed to separate grey water (for baths or washing) from black (sewage). But the cost for that is only 0.50 paise more per square foot. “Even a builder will not be deterred, but he doesn’t know. He has to change the way he looks at housing,” says Hariharan. That minor amount is also made up in other ways, like aesthetic walls with no plaster or bathrooms with hardy taps and basins. Maintenance costs are 30 per cent less than those for ordinary apartment blocks. For all external lighting LEDs, which use less electricity, have been fitted. All homes have light- holders that can take only CFLs. There are no bore-wells so water doesn’t need to be pumped and thereby energy is saved. Maintenance costs work out to Rs 1.60 paise per square foot in comparison to Rs 2.60 for conventional buildings. The company has revamped its management. It has 60 engineers and employs 140 people. “Institutional investors like ICICI and the real estate company Jones Lang Lasalle endorse us.
