A group of Grand Valley State University engineering students used what they learned in the classroom to make life a little cozier for residents in a home on the West Side of Grand Rapids.
On Tuesday, May 3, students from Grand Valley's Padnos College of Engineering applied what they learned in Dr. Shirley Fleischmann's heat transfer class when they installed insulation on a house owned by The Other Way Ministries. The insulation materials and expertise have been donated by Nu-Wool Company Inc., located in Jenison.
Utility costs for the un-insulated little purple house at 707 W. Fulton St. exceed $300 a month during the winter season. "That's way too much money," said Fleischmann, who also sits on the board of Other Way Ministries.
The engineering students evaluated the house as part of a project using a thermal imaging camera and performing blower door tests. But they weren't only learning about heat transfer. Fleischmann had her students write report on the "general problem of un-insulated houses on the West Side as a social justice issue," Fleischmann said. She noted that the people living in the most poorly insulated houses are probably the people least able to afford high utility bills.
"It's not an easy question. It's pretty complex," she said.
The students are volunteering their time to install cellulose insulation and duct work. The cellulose insulation will provide reduction in heating costs by up to 40 percent. The insulation is also environmentally friendly since it is composed of recycled newspapers. Once the project is complete, The Other Way Ministries will be able to provide a warmer and cost-efficient house for a local family.
