Foam Insulation

Brief Analysis of Hanae Kobayashi’s Research on the Topic:

Cooling Housing in Hot Climates

Hanae Kobayashi

Student at:

The Science Academy of South Texas

Problem Statement:

The temperature in Pabal, India, ranges from 30 to 40 ˚C. The hot/dry climate is a “physiological burden*” to villagers. “Many houses being constructed… become uncomfortably hot internally.”

*According to Pub Med Central, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine

Justification (other than the information provided on engINdia’s “Design Challenge” page):

1) Habitat for Humanity, a philanthropic organization that has a base in India where they build simple but necessary homes for various tsunami victims; the organization also points out the need for better housing in India.

“More than 60 percent of the country’s estimated 180 million dwellings are temporary or in a dilapidated condition. Poor quality bricks and cement are common. In rural areas, shelters often rely on mud, grass, leaves, reeds and bamboo. In urban areas, the poor live under bridges, on train and bus platforms, as well as in crowded slums.”

http://www.habitat.org/intl/ap/94.aspx

2) Reuters Alert Net, a humanitarian news network that began in 1997 by the Reuters Foundation

“Housing Survivors in southern India have regularly complained about the quality of temporary shelters. Most have tin roofs which made them too hot during the March to June summer when temperatures exceeded 40 degrees centigrade (104F). Thatched roofs have now been built over the tin ones to reduce the heat.”

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/112506559193.htm#india

3) Essays.cc, all essays on the organization’s website are written by “professional journalists” with university degrees

“Another type of housing in China are cave dwellings found in the Loess Plateau, where timber is scarce. The advantage of these dwellings are that they are naturally insulated making them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer … India’s billion plus citizens live in huge cities and small farm villages. Although most are people are poor, some are rich and live in large estates, while most of the population lives in one room shacks … Most Indians live in rural villages.”

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:4ZHXeOWIg9kJ:www.essays.cc/free_essays/g2/mrh212.shtml+cooler+housing+

india&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11

4) Tearfund, a “Christian relief and development charity committed to transforming lives by combating the causes and effects of poverty”

“Villages like Kovalam have spent months in temporary shelter, in limbo. The need to rehouse people is pressing in some districts of Tamil Nadu such as Chennai and Nagapattinam where torrential rains in late-October brought serious flooding. And the need for quality stable housing was underlined again by October 8’s South Asia earthquake affecting Pakistan and India.”

http://www.tearfund.org/News/Asia/Update+from+India+2.htm

5) Habitat for Humanity

“Village head-man Nagaroon foresees many benefits for the villagers in their new houses:

‘A better house will improve the standard of living and have economic benefits as well. Mud houses require a lot of work. It takes an investment of about 5,000 rupees a year to repair the house and replace the palm thatch roof. And a stronger house will be safer during extreme weather, such as floods and heavy rain.’

Education is a great concern, Nagaroon said. Children should have the opportunity to choose other work besides fishing. Having a house with windows and electric lights that doesn’t leak is very important so that children can study.”

http://www.habitat.org/disaster/2004/asia_tsunami/18month/default_india.aspx

Current Solutions (pros/cons):

1) Ecoshells, by Monolithic Dome Institute

“The EcoShell UniShell provides family housing at an affordable price. In most areas, a unit can be built with native labor and materials for $1500 to $5000, including all costs. Many working people who keep a country’s economy going can afford EcoShell homes … EcoShell Homes Are the Answer By our standards, a 20’ diameter dome with a floor area of 314’ square is small. But, exactly that size is considered adequate for low-cost housing. On the world market, the concrete and rebar required for such a dome costs about $1,000. Windows, doors, finish out inside, labor, overhead, equipment, profit, infrastructure, add considerably to the cost.”

http://www.monolithic.com/pres/win9899/index.html

PROS:

They are meant to be sold at less than $5000 each

They “cannot be burned, rotted, eaten by insects, collapsed by earthquakes or blown away by wind of whatever strength,” according to Mr. David B. South, President of Monolithic

CONS:

They need sponsors to fund this project and so far, are getting none. When I e-mailed the President asking him about it (twice) he did not reply to either of the e-mails.

“Eco shell … does not address the basic issues of climate control, water seepage etc.” –Mr. Vijaykumar**

2) Post-tsunami Housing in Sri Lanka, Architecture for Humanity

“In the early spring of 2005 a team made up of Architecture for Humanity Design Fellows and Sri Lankan based Relief International staff proposed a building scheme that allows variation of form based on a few standardized components … A clear-story ventilation system vents the entire building while allowing light to filter in from above.  Lower vents allow cooler air near the ground to enter the house forcing hot air out of the interior air vents in the roof … One of the most challenging and costly aspects of adding on to an existing home involves extending the roof.”

http://architectureforhumanity.org/programs/tsunami/housing/housing.htm

PROS:

Interesting cooling mechanism that is efficient

According to Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises, “The over-all design is intended to be simple and repetitive with good architectural design to provide a straightforward building.”

CONS:

According to the World Fact Book on the cia.gov website, Sri Lanka has constant monsoons year round. However, Pabal, India has mostly hot and dry summers as stated by the organization that regulate several engineering projects in Pabal, engINdia.

This climate difference defeats the purpose of the natural ventilation system since the vents work better in windy weather.

It also hasn’t been built yet so its flaws are yet to be determined

Insulation:

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Report, the organization that mandates and makes the laws applying to “truthful advertising or prohibiting price fixing,” “Whether you live in Bangor, Maine, or Bakersfield, California, your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient with the right insulation.”

A research group at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted a study on insulation and the effects of it on the residents. They identified 1350 homes without insulation in poverty struck areas and conducted the study with those houses.

According to this article, “News Track—Science” by the organization, United Press International, Inc, those living in an insulated home suffered less respiratory illnesses than those living without.

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:C_67rtkYoIUJ:www.upi.com/Consumer_Health_Daily/Reports/2007/03/02/

insulating_homes_reduces_sick_days/+newstrack+science+insulation+otago+new+zealand&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

Types of Insulation:

Sources—

Fiberglass: Information is from the article, “Insulation for Your Home” under the site, “Home Repair Articles” on www.naturalhandyman.com

Straw-Core: Information is from the article, “Types of Insulation,” by the U.S. Department of Energy on http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11560

Spray PU-foam: Information from Mr. Rentaria*** and Mr. Vijaykumar**

PU-Foam:

Mr. Vijaykumar suggested using PU-foam

He claimed the foam was “relatively inexpensive” and “the raw material[s] [are] available in India.”

According to Mr. Rentaria, the foam insulation can drop the interior temperature a “good 40 – 50%.”

Doesn’t create mold (according to Mr. Rentaria)

Non-toxic (according to Mr. Rentaria)

Doesn’t deteriorate (according to Mr. Rentaria)

Very “light weight” – only about 30 lbs/100 square feet (according to Mr. Rentaria)

Energy Efficient (according to the American Chemistry Council’s branch, Center for the Polyurethane’s Branch, “Polyurethane… foams have one of the highest insulating R-values per inch of all commercially available products today… it is possible to have thinner walls and lower profile roofs while maximizing efficiency, increasing space utilization and reducing operating costs.”)

The problem: Mr. Vijaykumar claimed, “the foaming equipment is expensive.”

At Rio Grande Urethane, Co in Edinburg, Texas, I discovered the machine was divided into 4 main parts—the unit, the heat hose, the transfer pump, and the foam gun.

The Unit is about $38,000; the heat hose is about $1600; the transfer pump is approximately $2500; and the foam gun is about $1800—totaling an average of $43,900 per machine.

My Idea:

My idea: To get an organization, such as Habitat for Humanity, to donate money for a good cause, buy and transport the machines to Pabal where they will be tested by Vigyan Ashram.

Habitat for Humanity has a base in Mumbai (Bombay), India which is less than 100 km (about 60 miles) away from Pabal.

Since their mission statement clearly states that they wish to “eliminate poverty housing” around the world, and India is very much a part of that world, they should be inclined to assist.

“A nonprofit… Christian housing ministry. HFHI [Habitat for Humanity International] seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.”

—Habitat for Humanity website

Experts:

**Mr. Vijaykumar

Advisor, ex-Executive Director

Vigyan Ashram

***Mr. Rentaria (I held and interview with him at his company where he explained the parts of a PU foam machine, the benefits of PU foam, how the machine works, the price of one, and also let me attempt to spray the foam onto a piece of cardboard)

Owner & Worker

Rio Grande Urethane, Co.

Mason Knowles (I contacted the organization he belongs to in order to find out what makes the PU foam machines expensive. He told me how they work and claimed the sprayer was fairly expensive.)

Executive Director

SPFA (Spray-Polyurethane Foam Alliance)