Yamada Denki Group jumped into the housing business with both feet in August 2011. One of the triggers to this was the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck in March of the same year. Against the backdrop of the increasing need to save power after the earthquake, we started efforts to protect everyone's safety and security by showcasing houses built with solar power and storage batteries at our stores around the country. The‘disaster-proof home’ which Yamada Denki Group has been pursuing for the nine years since then has been embodied in NEXIS, a new custom-built home that is self-sufficient both in terms of electricity and drinking water.
In residential solar power systems, electricity generated from solar panels installed on the roof is generally used at home, with any excess electricity being sold back to the power company. But the solar panels themselves cannot store electricity, the disadvantage being that the amount of electricity generated depends on the weather and time of day. This is a problem in terms of being able to provide electricity when disaster strikes or when there is a power-cut.
Yamada Homes’custom-built house NEXIS is built with a solar power system and an AI off-grid system storage battery. By charging the large capacity storage battery without selling excess electricity back to the power company, NEXIS becomes a ‘disaster-proof’ home able to use electricity throughout the night or during power-cuts. The storage battery has a large capacity of 10kWh that can handle power consumption for a family of four at peak times without the need to purchase power from the grid*. With a standard power storage system, there is a limit to the number of electrical appliances that can be used during a power outage. But since NEXIS can supply 6.0kVA (equivalent to a 60A contract) of electricity from the storage battery to the home, all electrical appliances can be used as normal. Not having to worry about electricity, one of our most important lifelines, is no doubt a great relief during any disaster fraught with uncertainty.
* The AI off-grid system storage battery allows for living off-grid, but requires a basic contract with a power company as an emergency power source.
What would have most serious impact on our lives due to the disruption of lifelines in the event of a disaster is undoubtedly water. Water is used for so many things, including drinking, washing, toilets, brushing teeth, and bathing. It can take days to restore the water supply once it is damaged, which is why looking after our water supply is the most important thing we can do to prepare ourselves for a disaster.
Being equipped with a water generator, able to make water from air, at a time when our water supplies may be disrupted, is how NEXIS protects our most important lifeline. It works by removing dust and dirt particles from the drawn-in air using a high-performance filter. It then heats the air to create condensation, making drinkable water. By filtering the water, it is possible to produce about 16 to 25 liters of safe drinking water every day. Furthermore, the water produced is periodically circulated to prevent deterioration, thereby maintaining a constant supply of safe drinking water*. A water generator that uses air as a water source is a technology that is not only extremely useful in the event of a disaster, but it is also expected to help solve water problems around the world.
* Filter needs to be changed once a year. The water generator has undergone, and passed, the same tests to those of the Ministerial Ordinance on Water Quality Standards of the Water Supply Act, and the strictest Article 51 Inspections specified by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as defined by the quality standards for tap water.
Living in the earthquake-prone country of Japan means that preparing for an earthquake is an issue that everyone should constantly be aware of. The damage caused by an earthquake is especially dangerous when furniture falls over or when the building itself collapses. It is therefore extremely beneficial to choose a house with an earthquake-resistant structure to counter against these dangers.
NEXIS has achieved the highest technical specifications in four performance criteria of the‘long-life quality housing’as recognized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. One of these specifications is for resistance to earthquakes. More specifically, we have made use of a seismic structure that is strong against earthquakes, and used disaster-prevention roof tiles which are resilient in the event of earthquakes and typhoons. For more than 60 years, we have been able to give peace of mind to families with our technology that can completely safeguard against partial or total collapse in an earthquake. Furthermore, we have also developed an original earthquake-resistant shelter (seven square meters size) as one option for our custom-built homes. The shelter can withstand a load of 100 tons, equivalent to approximately three 2-story wooden-framed houses*, giving an added sense of security in an emergency. Yamada Homes will continue to create homes strong in the face of disaster based on the knowledge that disasters will always happen.
* According to company test results
As well as creating a home with safety and security in mind, Yamada Denki believes that a home is only‘disaster-proof’if it is prepared for any emergency. The Yamada Disaster Relief Insurance provided by YAMADA SMALL AMOUNT SHORT TERM INSURANCE compensates for damage to buildings, consumer electronics, furniture, household goods, as well as for injuries and severe disabilities to all members of the family due to natural disasters caused by earthquakes, water, wind, hail, snow, and lightning, etc. It is the industry’s first insurance product that has the same insurance premium across the country regardless of the structure of the building and the area in which you live, and covers in the event of earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rainfall, events that have frequently occurred in recent years. And only with Yamada can customers pay their insurance premiums using Yamada points.
Yamada Homes’NEXIS is one completed version of our‘disaster-proof’homes that was developed in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. From the standpoint of preparing for the ever increasing number of natural disasters, we believe that this is a house that accurately meets the needs of society. By combining the strengths of having Yamada Denki, the largest retailer in the consumer electronics industry, as its parent company, with the expertise and commitment that only a long-established custom-home builder can provide, we are creating a package where safe and secure quality is worth more than price. What’s more, as a member of the Yamada Denki Group, which develops business to solve the problems of housing and living, this package allows for a sales structure where the services of insurance and home quality inspections, etc., can be provided as a one-stop-shop. Yamada Homes will continue to strive to build homes that support the safety and security of our customers’lives for a long time to come.
YAMADA HOMES Co., LTD.
Representative Director and President
Hideki Matsumoto