Can a New Material Revive Thermal Mass?
In the last week or so I learned about a fascinating modern version of a millennia old technology. I’m talking about thermal mass…this is a very popular technology among the passive solar crowd–stretching back to the dawn of civilization–and it involves building your home (or castle) with “thick” walls that absorb heat during the heat of the day (cooling the home) and release that heat during the cool night (heating the home). Of course most modern buildings (with the exception of some “fringe” passive solar designs) do not call for walls that are multiple feet thick. Enter the “new material” commonly known as phase change material (PCM), which is formulated to accomplish the same thermal effect as a 12 inch wall in about a 1 inch package. The PCM is engineered to absorb heat by melting at a predetermined temperature. The melting material absorbs a massive amount of energy (simple thermodynamics) if the ambient/outside temperature rises above the melting point. And when temperature
