Switchable Insulation Innovations: TRL6-7 transition

Switchable Insulation enables thermal properties of building envelopes to be switched on and off in response to changing climatic conditions. This can reduce heating and cooling energy demands by 30-50% and also improve thermal comfort for building occupants. Our innovation - Switchable Insulation Panels (SwIPs) - enables insulated walls and roofs to become controllable sources of free solar heat during winter and to provide free night-time cooling during summer. This helps overcome problems of buildings overheating during heatwaves and dramatically reduces heating bills on cold sunny days. SwIPs utilise Ulster University's patented Thermal Diode technology to enable insulation U-values to be dynamically switched between 0.15 and 30W/(m2K). SwIPs are passive devices with no power consumption and can be seamlessly integrated with conventional heating and cooling control systems.