Insulating a house in Kodaikanal, India The temperature of houses in Kodai is usually extremely cold all year round for many families. As a result, Kodai residents would keep their homes warm by burning wood in their furnace, polluting the environment every day. What if Kodai houses were built in a well-insulated way? Would it improve the overall well-being of Kodai's environment as there would be less demand for a fiery furnace (Column)? In Kodai, the general construction material of windows is thin glass and roofs are made partially of wood, metal and plastic. The walls are structured in concrete and stone and the floors are made up of concrete and tiles. Furthermore, the approximate height from the floor to the highest point of the ceiling is approximately 3 meters (personal interview 1). As a result, a typical Kodai house would lose much of its thermal energy through its walls, windows and roof (BBC News). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The objective of this essay is to find out the best ways in which you can insulate a house in Kodaikanal. This essay will discuss 2 popular and efficient methods used to further insulate homes. The first method is Batts isolation and the second method is Blow-in isolation. The method that will work best in Kodai is insulation by blowing. This method also has the advantage of the environmental factor with the disadvantage of the economic factor. The first method to insulate a typical Kodai house without having to use a furnace is Batts insulation. Batts insulation involves the use of thin, flexible glass wool. Glass wool is a great insulating material and also has numerous benefits that could provide a warmer home. This material does not catch fire and does not melt easily. It also has a durable structure that protects it from becoming food for small animals or insects. Glass wool also does not rot, acting as a long-lasting thermal insulator (Pinkbatts.co.nz). This insulation method is used within various areas of the home. The first and most well-known location is the space between the exterior wall and interior wall of a house, also known as the wall cavity. The air inside the Batt would replace the usual air gap between the interior and exterior walls making it more difficult for heat to escape inside a home (Gcsescience.com). It is also placed in the ceiling to help reduce the amount of heat a home might lose and the amount of cold air it might receive. It also reduces the amount of heat transfer between the outside air and the heat in the home's inside air (EcoMaster). This method also uses the two heat transfer methods to our advantage. When the weather in Kodai is cold outside, conduction, which is the transfer of heat between a solid object, causes the walls and windows to become colder and also reduces the temperature inside. Therefore, Batt insulation would be effective in slowing the heat transfer between the warmer air inside a home and the colder air outside. This process would result in an overall warmer temperature inside a home. Additionally, Batt insulation would be helpful in preventing the home's warm air from escaping and transferring heat to the cold air outside. In this case convection, which is the transfer of heat between fluids (liquids and gases), would be used to our advantage. These two processes would allow the home to contain thermal energy within it for a longer time (How insulation prevents heat transfer). This method is related to environmental factorsand economical. The Batt Insulation method is linked to the environmental factor as it has positive effects on the environment. This method would help in solving the discussed problem as there would be less need for ovens in Kodai. This factor would also help Koda's environment become cleaner and less infected by smoke pollution (Column). It is also related to the economic factor because the price to install Batt Insulation is quite high. It would cost around Rs. 20,600 to Rs. 40,000 for full insulation for a 500 square foot home (Homewyse). Consequently, this factor would create an obstacle to resolving the issue discussed. The second method of insulating a typical Kodai home without having to use a furnace is blown-in insulation. This process is done using fiberglass, mineral wool and cellulose insulation. Fiberglass is made from spun glass fibers. Mineral wool is made from recycled waste such as rock or steel slag. Finally, cellulose insulation is made from recycled newspaper and cardboard. These insulating materials are all useful as they can resist flames, insects, and more. The blow mold insulation process ensures that these substances are broken down into loose particles in the vacuum machine so that they can eventually be blown out into the area that requires insulation (WiseGeek). This insulation method is really effective as loose particles could be blown into the smallest areas of an attic and into small spaces within a wall cavity and therefore is one of the most effective insulation methods (Lowes). This method also uses convection and conduction to our advantage. In this Kodai environment, conduction often occurs as cold air conducts heat from the amount of heat in a house. As a result, the cold would hit the windows and walls of a house and without blown-in insulation, the temperature of the house would gradually reduce. In convection, the warm air contained in a typical Kodai home would try to transfer its heat with the cold air from the Kodai environment through ceilings, windows and walls. Without blown-in insulation, the temperature in a home would be very cold as uncontrolled airflow would go back and forth between the home and the outside environment with ease. Therefore, blown-in insulation would ensure that walls do not allow cold air to conduct heat from inside a Kodai home. It would also prevent the convection process between cold outside air and warm air in a home from happening easily and the temperature in a home could rise (How Insulation Prevents Heat Transfer). This method is also linked to environmental and economic factors. The blow-in insulation method is related to the environmental factor as it is beneficial for the environment. This method is what could cause a Kodai to no longer need ovens to keep the house warm. This is because it would be able to successfully maintain a sufficient amount of heat inside a home and at the same time it would also block cold air from entering the home (How Insulation Prevents Heat Transfer). This method is also linked to the economic factor as it is quite expensive to implement. While this method is slightly cheaper, the price range for providing enough insulation to cover a 500 square foot house would be around Rs. 20,700 at around Rs. 37,200 (Homewyse). Therefore, the environmental factor will help to solve the discussed problem, however, the economic factor would create an obstacle towards solving this problem. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. So get an essay.
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