Heaps of people may ask, what is a thermal bridge? A thermal bridge is a passage in a building envelope where heat is transferred at a considerably high rate. Thermal bridging occurs when insulation is not continuous. Where insulation is not continuous, heat flows through the path created. Typically, thermal bridging takes place through the studs of the wall structure. It is not usual for continuous insulation (CI) to be installed on this part of the wall envelope, but increasingly, people are looking for ways to build greener, or even to retrofit as recourse to the loss of air.

It’s easy to fill the cavity with insulation because of all the space you have to work with. It’s common to overlook the wood or steel framing of a building, but ironically, that is where most of the thermal bridging occurs. Reducing or eliminating thermal bridging is key if you want to save energy. Frequently, thermal bridging can lead to condensation or mold, which then leads to future retrofits.

A lot of you have expressed an interest on the benefits of aerogel insulation. Thermablok is not a product that is meant to fill the cavities, but instead, its purpose is to act as a thermal block—Thermablok is applied directly on the stud of the wood or metal frames. Being that this JEDI INSULATION is hydrophobic, the prospect of mold is eliminated. Thermablok substantially reduces thermal bridging and considerably reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, while having great capabilities of preventing the growth of mold that will eventually damage your wood framing—doesn’t that sound unsafe, costly and time-consuming? IT IS.

So, if you’re looking to start fresh and green as a new home builder then below are some of the things you can do (presuming that you haven’t already):

1) Do your homework. If you are still reading this blog then you already have one up on green building!

2) Locate a green contractor. A green contractor will help you spend your money most efficiently, while looking for products that will keep your energy bills low.

The point is to reduce your energy bills, save you money in the long run and feel good about making environmentally sound choices when building green. After all, it’s for the greater good!

For more info contact Angela Campisi of PR and Marketing at angela@acoustiblok.com

2010’s Earth Day marks its 40 year anniversary and the all-encompassing conversation in today’s climate is energy efficiency. While global solar energy is waiting right around the bend, current issues at hand are how to make existing living situations more energy-efficient, while lowering utility costs and leaving less of a carbon footprint.

The 2009 Recovery Act contributed billions of dollars to the weatherization programs which was then allocated to community action centers throughout the states. The notion of weatherizing homes surfaced in the early 70’s and was implemented in 1976. What was its purpose? Weatherization was generated specifically for low-income families to apply for grants, thus giving the opportunity to replace old refrigerators, add insulation or add caulking where energy was being lost, in order to lower utility bills.

In the last decade, retrofitting homes has become more of a trending topic for people who are doing it themselves. The general breakdown of costs to retrofit a home starts at approximately $2,000.00 and can go up to $6,000.00.

Meanwhile, the heaping count of home builders is getting it right from the start.Thermablok’s NASA aerogel technology is used as a type of insulation that adheres to the studs of a wall structure where the majority of thermal bridging occurs. Thermablok is a preventative for thermal bridging. Homebuilders and homeowners are turning to newer solutions for retrofitting and building from ground up and a lot of them are turning to thermablok.

Will retrofitting and building with more energy-efficient products eventually pay off? The answer is yes. Clearly, homeowners who have retrofitted are leaving less of a carbon footprint, reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, moreover, there is almost immediate visible reduction in energy costs.

Before the proliferation of retrofitting, crowding concerns were the longevity of wall structures. Thermablok’s is impervious to water and mold which marks long-lasting traits in a building’s structure, rendering the need for future retrofits to become increasingly extraneous.

NASA named Thermablok aerogel insulating material to its Top 49 list of products in the newly released 2009 edition of Spinoff, NASA’s annual premier publication featuring companies that have successfully adapted NASA technologies to everyday products and made them available to average consumers. In NASA’s 2009 Spinoff list, Thermablok joins an esteemed group of companies and technologies that have directly benefitted as a result of the space program. The list includes products in the fields health, transportation, energy consumption and creation, computer chips and environmental technologies.

Taking the newly discovered aerogel insulation technology developed by NASA – the highest insulating material in existence – Thermablok, based in Tampa Florida, developed a highly efficient product that may soon become a standard in the building industry. Aerogel, also referred to as “frozen smoke” has been difficult to adapt to most uses because of its fragility.

The patented Thermablok material overcomes this by using a unique fiber to suspend a proprietary formula of aerogel which allows it to be bent or compressed while still retaining its amazing insulation properties. The process requires saturating the fiber with liquefied aerogel, then extracting the liquid using liquid nitrogen. Lahnie Johnson is president and founder of Thermablok and its sister company, Acoustiblok, Inc. Johnson stated that just one, 1/4-inch x 1 1/2-inch strip of Thermablok added to just one edge of each stud before hanging drywall breaks the conductive “thermal bridging” which occurs through the stud, and can increase the overall wall R-factor by more than 40- percent (US Department of Energy/JM Laboratories.) Consisting of more than 95- percent air, Thermablok is virtually weightless, making it easy and inexpensive to ship and install. Made in the USA, Thermablok is 100-percent recyclable, will not age, and being hydrophobic it will not combine with or be affected by water. An excellent green product for today’s environmentally friendly new construction and retrofits requiring no structural or permit changes. Anyone can install it.

The honor could not be more fitting for Thermablok, as NASA is dedicating this year’s Spinoff issue to the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Thermablok uses the same aerogel technology that NASA applies to its space shuttles, astronaut’s space suits, and other space technology, including more missions. Spinoff also summarizes the ways in which Apollo continues to provide tangible benefits to the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1976, Spinoff has featured between 40 and 50 of these commercial products annually. These products are just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the thousands of products to which NASA’s research and development has contributed.

Spinoff maintains a searchable database of every technology published since its inception. “This database is truly inspirational for people of all ages,” Johnson said. For more than 40 years, the NASA Innovative Partnerships Program has promoted the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector in an effort to benefit worldwide competition as well as the nation’s economy. Johnson, an inventor, entrepreneur, and former aerospace associate, is an enthusiastic proponent of NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program. “The results of the space program have contributed immensely to products and technology we all take for granted in our daily lives,” he said.

For more information regarding Thermablok, visit our website at www.thermablok.com, e-mail us at sales@acoustiblok.com, or call us at 813-980-1400.

Press Release written by Liz Ernst.

U.S. Department of Energy Awards Thermablok-Insulated “Refract House” First Place in Architecture in the 2009 Solar Decathlon Competition

Washington, DC– Tampa, Florida-based Thermablok announces that Team California – consisting of students from the California College of the Arts (CCA) and Santa Clara University (SCU) – took top honors in the Architecture category of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, DC. SCU/CCA students’ Refract House featuring Thermablok’s new “aerogel” insulating material placed third overall among 20 universities from around the world all vying to design, construct and operate the most aesthetic, energy-efficient, and self-sustaining solar-powered house.

Team California took the lead in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon by winning the architecture contest with a score of 98 out of a possible 100. A jury of professional architects praised the Refract House, calling it “beautiful in every respect,” and applauding Team California’s student architects and designers for its “excellent project documentation, crystal-clear concept, and successful translation of regional architecture.”

Thermablok® President and Founder Lahnie Johnson donated his new aerogel insulation which uses technology developed in conjunction with NASA, to SCU/CCA’s refract House. Aerogel, sometimes referred to as “frozen smoke”, has the highest insulating properties of any known material in existence. While aerogel has been used extensively by NASA including the recent Mars missions, until this recent breakthrough aerogel had not been easily adaptable to the building industry.

Unsurpassed in its insulating properties, impervious to moisture and mold and unaffected by age, Thermablok is a natural ingredient for a project like the Solar Decathlon. Energy-conscious architects may soon be incorporating this latest answer to energy conservation and reducing CO2 emissions. Just one, ¼-inch x 1½-inch (6.25mm x 38mm) strip of Thermablok added to only one edge of each stud before hanging drywall breaks the conductive “thermal bridging” and can increase the overall wall R-factor by more than 40 percent (US Department of Energy/JM Laboratories.)

Consisting of more than 95-percent air, Thermablok is virtually weightless making it easy and inexpensive to ship and install. Made in the USA, Thermablok is 100-percent recyclable and is now available to the public for both commercial and residential building applications.
A prestigious international competition, the Solar Decathlon began in 2002 and is held every two years. Originally earmarked for Architectural students, the competition has grown to include Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Industrial Labor Relations, and students representing other academic concentrations as well.

This year’s Solar Decathlon is represented by teams from Santa Clara University, California College of the Arts; Cornell University; Iowa State; Penn State; Rice University; University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, Alberta College of Art & Design, Mount Royal College; Boston Architectural College, Tufts University; Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany); Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri; University of Waterloo, Ryerson University, Simon Fraser University (Ontario, BC); Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain); The Ohio State University; University of Arizona; Universidad de Puerto Rico; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Kentucky; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; University of Minnesota; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Virginia Tech.

The 2009 Solar Decathlon will be open for public viewing October until October 18.
Thermablok and its parent company, Acoustiblok, Inc. is proud to sponsor energy conservation-related projects in the worldwide community such as the Solar Decathlon. For more information, contact sales@thermablok.com or visit our website at www.thermablok.com.

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Press Release written by Liz Ernst