Thai property market goes green as more developers go for solar roofs
With surging crude oil prices pushing up power bills, several key property developers have started including solar roofs and EV chargers in new houses.
Sutirapan Sakkawatra, vice president of Siam Commercial Bank, said this green trend was spotted recently when loans worth 600 million baht were granted to buyers of homes with solar roofs, buyers of electric vehicles (EVs) or those installing solar roofs in their homes.
Praphansak Rakchaiwan, managing director of property consultation company Lumpini Wisdom and Solution Co Ltd, confirmed this green trend. He said the price of solar panels for houses and condominium units has dropped a lot over the past 10 years. Now, the cost of a hybrid solar energy system that connects to the power grid has gone down to about 169,000 baht, which can be easily recouped in five years, he said.
Eventually, he added, solar panel users can end up saving some 945,000 baht over 25 years. He reckoned that at least 20 per cent of new home buyers will opt for units with solar roofs.
Wongsakorn Prasitwiphak, managing director of Property Perfect, said the company has partnered with SCB, SCG and EV Lomo to install these chargers. The cost of the installation will be added to the price tag of the new units and the company will also offer to install EV chargers for existing customers.
Sansiri Plc said it will install solar roofs in 1,825 units it is scheduled to build this year.
Supalak Chanpithak, CEO of Britania Plc, said its parent company – Origin Property – has partnered up with Gunkul Engineering to make inroads in the clean energy business for housing units.
He added that Britania will install solar roofs on some 200 housing units in projects in Bangkok and its suburbs to build so-called “solar villages”.
Separately, Sena Development Plc said it will invest 600 million baht in the installation of solar panels, especially in its new 15-rai Sena Viva Chalong Krung-Lat Krabang project in Bangkok.
