IS THERE A PHASE CHANGE COMING TO YOUR HOME?

You may have already heard about PCMS — phase change materials — that are now gaining popularity as another weapon in the war against your home’s excessive heating and cooling costs. We’ve already discussed various insulation products and methods, including the addition of internal heat bank walls that, when correctly set up, will absorb the winter day’s heat and release it slowly during the night, helping to maintain a stable warmth throughout your home naturally.

An aspect of those heavy, solid ‘thermal mass’ walls is, because of their bulk, they can encroach on your living space — not ideal if space is already at a premium. PCMS can give you a similar ‘heat bank’ effect, at a fraction of the weight and bulk, and are quicker and cheaper to install. Another significant advantage is they can be retrofitted, as an extension of your home’s insulation properties. PCMS look a little like a flat ceiling batt, but function entirely differently. They are designed to be installed between your ceiling and the insulation and act as a rechargeable heat bank, absorbing or releasing heat energy. The fire-retardant plastic sheeting contains pockets of recycled material that change from a solid to a liquid at a set temperature — the phase change.

This effectively does the same as thermal mass walls — by shifting the warmth of the day into the night, and the cool of the night into the day, helping to naturally maintain your home’s temperature without resorting to artificial and expensive means.

So, apart from reducing temperature variations, thereby reducing the need for heating and cooling, it also reduces greenhouse emissions, and shifts energy usage away from expensive peak load times.

In our temperate climate on the Darling Downs, where we often have significant temperature variations between day and night, this product will function very effectively, and no doubt will become another vital component in your green energy armoury.

While it is very new here (almost unheard of), it has been around for several years. This is a very brief introduction, and we invite your queries as to how it might benefit your new or refurbished home.