Dive summary:
- Choosing insulation for new structures is no longer a ho-hum part of building design and construction as owners look for ways to cut heating and cooling costs.
- Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), silica aerogels and phase-change materials (PCMs) are technologies that are entering the market and seem promising for broad adoption, eventually becoming required rather than radical technologies.
- VIPs, for example, are capable of turning into a R-40 barrier space that would have yielded an R-4 rating with conventional mineral-fiber insulation.
From the article:
If historic patterns hold, costs should continue downward with further product development, supplier consolidation and construction code adoption, making them more attractive to U.S. landlords, predicted Aditya Ranade, senior analyst with Lux Research. ...
