Building Insulation in Rural Areas of Kyrgyzstan - Initialising Phase
A. Binz, 25. 7. 2002

People in the rural areas of Kyrgyzstan are living in very cheap and simply built houses, lacking the least of thermal insulation and airtightness. In the continental climate with long periods of average outside temperatures far below -10°C, these houses can be kept at a minimum indoor temperature (in a medical sense and not in terms of comfort) only by large amounts of heating energy. With the political and economic changes after the fall of the soviet government, energy has become very expensive. Studies have shown that in rural areas people are spending up to half of their income for energy.

The project will prepare an initiative to enable the rural population to improve their buildings with an adequate thermal insulation. This means to establish a working team of Kyrgiz and Swiss experts, to define the adequate procedure of the initiative and to make first exploratory steps in developing indigenous insulation materials and feasible building and retrofitting constructions. Because of the weak financial situation of the rural population, insulation and airtightness will have to be achieved by materials based on local resources. Production of materials and application in the building must be simple enough to be taught to local contractors and to offer the opportunity for the building owners to do a considerable part of the work themselves.

In a first phase of the project, building construction types in rural Kyrgyzstan have been recorded and analysed. The construction details which are easiest to improve, such as floor and ceiling constructions with wooden beams and space in between to be filled with insulation, have been identified. Appropriate construction details have been developed. On the other side, first trials to compose panel and bat insulation, based on local and cheap raw materials have been made. At the moment sheep wool, reed and possibly straw look most promissing as suitable raw material to produce insulations.

To start a bigger initiative to improve a considerable amount of houses in the rural areas of Kyrgyzstan, it will be necessary, to establish a local scientific basis. Ideally this would be created at the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transportation and Architecture. They will be able to do the necessary measurements and testing for the newly developed insulation materials, according to the Kyrgyz regulations. Furthermore it can serve as a center and coordination office for expertise and technical support for local contractors and apprenticing staff.

Contact:

University of Applied Sciences
Institute of Energy
Prof. Armin Binz
Fichtenhagstrasse 4
CH-4132 Muttenz/Switzerland
Tel. +41 61 467 44 94
Fax +41 61 467 45 43
a.binz@fhbb.ch
www.fhbb.ch/energie

Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transportation and Architecture
KSUCTA Dept “Heat – Gas Supply and Ventilation”
Prof. Erkin Kaparovich Boronbaev
Maldybaeva street 34 "b"
720020 Bishkek
KyrgyzstanTel. +996 (312) 42-14-86,
Fax +996 (312) 54-51-36,
bcarlbro@kuacgb.bishkek.su
http://www.ksucta.elcat.kg/

CAMP, Central Asian Mountain Partnership
Mr Ernst Gabathuler
338 Frunze str.
720011 Bishkek
Kyrgyz Republic
Tel. +996 (312) 68 09 28
Fax +996 (312) 66 06 25
camp@elcat.kg
www.camp.kg