In Mongolia, BYU's $400 retrofit could reduce toxic air pollution

In an effort to decrease pollution from coal-burning heaters in Mongolian houses (called gers), BYU engineers have developed a $400 system that allows Mongolian families to retrofit and insulate their homes so they can use electric heaters instead of coal. Because most gers (also known as yurts), are insulated only with layers of felt on a wood base, it would take about six electric heaters to keep them warm in Mongolia's -40 degree winters. BYU engineering Capstone students built a ger on BYU's campus in Provo, Utah, to study the problem and suggest alternatives including insulating the ger with layers of radiant barrier (with gaps designed to allow warm air to bounce back into the structure rather than escaping), and identifying and fixing other locations where heat loss occurs (including floors, doorways and the rooftop window). In testing in early 2019, the students found that a retrofit, which could be completed in a day, reduced heat loss enough that one heater kept a ger toasty warm (82 degres) overnight (an observation that was followed by a lesson on how to adjust the heater's thermostat). Deseret International Charities, which sponsored and supported the Capstone project, is testing the solution by retrofitting 120 gers this fall with hopes of bringing the idea to thousands of Mongolian families in the future. The project could have immediate impact for families as, with coal stoves, pollutants are trapped inside the homes causing significant health problems, particularly for children. The BYU team found that the level of PM 2.5 particulate inside a ger was 400 micrograms per cubic meter; the World Health Organization standard is 25 micrograms.
"For every family we convince (to retrofit their ger), we immediately impact their lives for good and improve their quality of life," says BYU Capstone team member Dylan Sellers. "It's enough if one family adopts this. To have tens of thousands of homes retrofitted is the dream."

[@royangel7747]

I love, love, love this! Love my school, love the students, and I love this project. Great work. Go Cougs!

[@alofano]

Interesting ... In the early 60's I was living in Italy and they had something very similar to that for heating there homes. Mind you it was Southern Italy.

[@blank.9301]

Such good work 👍, keep it up.

[@user-qg1wj7wh8i]

Hello,
How do we reach out to you to work with your team?
My team and I are working together to helo fight deadly air pollution in Mongolia.
Please let us know.

[@angelgustavo6177]

Soy de Perú y me encantaría estar en la universidad

[@DingbatToast]

Clearly UB Mongolia has a pollution problem. The 5 coal burning power stations don't help. A Ger is very well insulated using a thick multi layered felt and replacing that with modern insulating materials sounds like a good test (Not sure I would qualify it as any kind of innovative design, simply an upgrade)
Burn I am interested to understand the full implications. You don't mention if your insulation is on top of the existing or instead of it?
The natural Ger felt is very dense and during the sunny days, it does heat up and the ger is relatively warmed by the sun. Your reflective insulation would presumably stop that and require more heating during the daytime?
Also, as a single living/sleeping area for the whole family. Cooking drying breathing etc all produce moisture which the felt can deal with as it's breathable. What about your non breathable membrane? Do damp problems start to occur over time? Mould?
Same as if you tank an old house and stop it breathing you cause more problems than you solve.
Hard to say from this video if you perminantly improved anything over time