New transparent insulator material could improve heat efficiency of buildings

This article was originally posted on Chemical Engineering Online.

Summary

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a transparent insulating material for windows that significantly lowers thermal conductivity while still allowing visible light to pass, targeting reduced heating and cooling losses and improved building energy efficiency.

What do you see as the biggest hurdle to adoption—manufacturing cost, optical clarity, durability, or retrofit compatibility—and where would you deploy it first (e.g., skylights, high-rise facades, residential retrofits)?

Buildings lose considerable heating and cooling energy through their windows, so window coatings with low thermal conductivity would improve efficiency. However, finding insulating materials that are also transparent is a challenge. A team of researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder has developed a novel insulating material for windows that lowers thermal conductivity, but that also allows visible light to pass.

The post New transparent insulator material could improve heat efficiency of buildings appeared first on Chemical Engineering.

New transparent insulator material could improve heat efficiency of buildings

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