Gudeul, a traditional Korean room heating technology, was recently introduced to the eastern parts of the country. 19 individuals at Yonphula in Trashigang received specialised training in the technology. These trained individuals will serve as focal persons to help implement the technology in their respective areas. In addition, district engineering staff also took part in a two-week training programme organised by the district.
Gudeul is an underfloor heating system that uses direct heat transfer from the wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor made of stone, sand and mud.
The training included both theory and hands-on practice. Participants worked on a private construction site in Yongphula where they learned to build the heating system from start to finish.
This involved creating a fire oven, setting up channels to distribute smoke for heating and installing a chimney to vent the smoke out.
Once the system was set up, they covered it with stone slabs, sand, and red mud clay to contain the smoke and finished by applying Desho paper to the room.
The technology is environmentally friendly and fuel efficient. Five to six pieces of firewood is enough to keep a room warm for 24 hours. The use of Gudeul is also known to have health benefits and is designed in such a way that no smoke is released indoors.
“In Merag and Sagteng, both seasons, both summer and winter are very cold. We always need to make a fire to stay warm. This technology uses less firewood which is beneficial if we can’t collect enough. It will reduce both firewood consumption and heating costs” said Pema Rinzin, a participant from Sagteng Gewog.
“We plan to share the skills we have learned from this training with others. However, it might be hard to convince people without showing them how it works practically. If I use it only in my own house, only a few people will see it. It might be more effective to implement it in schools or public places like Lhakhang where more people can experience and understand the benefits,” said Tenzin Dorji, a participant from Merag Gewog.
The heating system was introduced to the country in 2017. So far, training has been provided in a few other districts.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Sonam Pem
