Coatings specialist Akzo Nobel says that use of the Calosol heat-retaining façade technology it helped create has resulted in 20-30% less electricity being consumed to heat the building with heat pumps.
The manufacturer developed a pioneering coating which can help warm up or cool down a building and is now the exclusive paint supplier to the for new-builds or renovation projects. The innovative panel system – which transforms the façades of homes and buildings into a source of energy – was created together with Dutch partners Emergo and TNO.
At the heart of the technology is an AkzoNobel coating which can harness energy from the portion of sunlight invisible to the human eye. This, according to the manufacturer, means the system can capture solar energy as long as there’s daylight, and can also contribute to green building certifications such as BREEAM and LEED.
Wijnand Bruinsma, AkzoNobel’s Director of Sustainability, said:
The built environment accounts for around 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, so finding effective solutions to help reduce the environmental footprint of buildings is vital. The technology we’ve developed with Emergo and TNO represents an important step in helping to make the built environment more sustainable, especially when you consider that 80% of today’s buildings will remain in use beyond 2050. So, addressing their carbon footprint isn’t just an environmental concern, it’s a pressing economic and societal challenge.”
Being able to capture the part of the solar spectrum that’s invisible to humans means the aesthetically-pleasing panels can be supplied to building designers in virtually any colour, the firm says:
Traditionally, black is most associated with absorbing light, but when using the Calosol technology white, for example, has more than 30% higher solar absorption.”
Jan Weggeman, Director of Emergo added:
The Calosol heat-retaining façade technology is particularly effective for the renovation of residential homes and other structures such as public buildings that have important heating needs, including swimming pools. It provides added value to property owners, architects and housing corporations, expanding the possibilities for sustainable renovations.”
The company notes that with around 60 billion square meters of unused façade surfaces in the European Union alone, and just as much roof surface, the technology has huge green building potential.As well as being successfully tested in lengthy pilot projects conducted with several Dutch housing associations, the new system also features on a sports hall and is being installed in several public buildings across the Netherlands during the next few months.
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