Whom cost of living crisis Spread across Europe, we are all looking for ways to reduce our energy costs.
But 62-year-old Tokyo resident Chikako Fujii has already mastered the art. In fact, he has not paid his electricity bill for 10 years.
And that’s not why refused to pay.
There is no TV, oven, washing machine or air conditioner in Chicago. The only electrical equipment he has is powered by four solar panelsinstalled on the balcony.
Although Chikako’s lifestyle may seem impossible, what can we learn from her about how to reduce our own energy consumption?
What are the best ways to save energy?
“I started this lifestyle because of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Shortly after the earthquake, there were several scheduled blackouts here, so suddenly. electricity is out and I felt that I should make my own electricity. So I built a solar panel,” said Chikako.
Chikako raised him solar panel collection ever since. The panels produce an average of 1,000 watts of energy on a sunny day, powering his electrical appliances and lighting for several days.
Chikako rides when the sun is low electric power generating bicycle it produces about 10 watts of electricity for 10 minutes in the morning. That’s enough to light a light bulb for three hours, he says.
How to cook without electricity
One of Chikako’s other big lifestyle changes is that she cooks her food using the power of the sun.
On sunny days, he leaves the food he wants to cook in black pots on his balcony for a few hours.
“On sunny days, a slice of fish can be cooked in about an hour, and a piece of chicken breast takes about an hour and a half,” he says.
Cooking rice and baking cakes requires more heat, so she uses a solar oven. This contraption uses mirrors to focus the sun’s energy into a central point where it heats up enough to cook food.
He also uses it candles to heat the stove top.
Is it easy to live a low-energy lifestyle?
Chikako dabbles in textile dyeing and uses a foot pedal sewing machine for her projects.
Although Chikako says she only chooses activities she enjoys and can do Resistantit must be admitted that his life path is not easy.
As the climate crisis, the temperature rises and brings extreme heat wavesChikako found more and more it’s hard to cope without air conditioning or chilled food and drinks. Recently, he bought a small refrigerator it is powered by solar panels.
He is considering giving it up because of his age and the scorching summer heat eco lifestyle.
Chikako is more optimistic now Japan has more clean energy compared to ten years ago.
Even if he gets plugged back in, he says he’ll even continue to cook with solar energy.
“Cooking in the sun is delicious, it doesn’t use gas or electricity. And it can be used in the event of a natural disaster. I want to continue cooking in the sun and develop skills,” he adds.
Watch the video above to learn more about Chikako’s off-the-grid lifestyle.