Fen Technology isdevelopinga material system to enhance a significant portion of the building envelope through optimal integration of phase-change materials (PCMs) into the structure. The combined system improves the overall energy efficiency and temperature stability of the home, reducing the burden on active heating systems. Further, improved thermal performance due to PCMs canenable reduction in insulation thickness to achieve a similar level of overall comfort. For usage in structural insulated panels (SIPS), PCMs can permit the reduction in foam insulation thickness, leading to a potential net reduction in embodied energy.

 

The primary efforts aregoinginto selecting production viable materials and methods and optimizing the entire assembly using multi-physics-based methods, leveraging strong past experience in this area. Further, Fen will combine the materials advancements with an end-user software tool to facilitate and expedite design integration of PCMs into building projects for assessment of overall performance improvements.

 

This work will be of interest to a wide range of companies working in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and constructionindustries(residential and commercial).It may also be possible to retrofit some of these advancesto existing buildingstherebyreducingbuilding energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.