TERMOBUILD’s Green Team presents “An Introduction to Thermal Mass” from WEBISODE STUDIO on Vimeo.

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The California Green Building Standards Code, known as CALGreen comes into effect January 2011 and will become the first in the nation to pursue mandatory green building principles for newly constructed buildings. CALGreen’s comprehensive sustainable code measures previously applied in LEED buildings are now required for all new construction.

The two big questions are, as a design professional, developer or investor how are you affected by this mandate and how can your buildings comply with this mandate in a cost-effective way?

A strategic approach to complying with CalGreen’s code requirements is offered by TermoBuild through the use of innovative Thermal Energy Storage (TES) method.

The TermoBuild method achieves energy efficiency in brand new buildings by tapping into the unused potential of dormant floors.  By incorporating hollow core concrete slabs into floor and ceiling construction you can maintain radiant comfort without the use of complicated wet systems.  Even more beneficial, the system has no moving parts and its smart energy storage operates intuitively as a plug and play solution. Termobuild’s system pairs significantly smaller HVAC equipment with hollow core slabs to harness and distribute energy from a variety of natural and green sources.  While mechanical equipment is still necessary, its size is reduced and it’s relied upon primarily for back-up measures.

Termobuild’s time-tested integrated thermal energy storage solution works in a variety of climates and easily aligns with CalGreen’s stringent standards.

As a green-minded company, our method can easily combine with other green systems to synthesize an integrated solution with improved return on investment. Other systems that pair well with TermoBuild and accelerate their payback include Solar PV, Geothermal, Wind and On-Site Power Generation.

Examples of buidlings where TermoBuild has proven to be effective include: green schools, green colleges, green universities, green medical buildings, green offices, green homes, green hotels, green long term care facilities – to name a few.

Thermal energy storage is poised to be a key aspect that aligns with CalGreen’s energy efficiency chapter of the code. For those outside of California this method is equally attractive with social, environmental and economic benefits.

Termobuild’s green solution is focused on your new project needs.  Our simple ideas can help you do more with less. For more information, contact us by e-mail: greenteam@termobuild.com or call: 347.905.0865

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is a cost-effective technology that can be implemented in new buildings to reduce the over-consumption of energy and save on heating and cooling bills long term. Through the use of hollow core slabs the principle of TES converts and stores off-peak energy in order to deliver year-round comfort in new homes or businesses 24 hours a day.

Off-peak hours are the times of day or night when utilities across USA and Canada have excess energy supplies due to low demands. Conversely, on-peak hours are those times of day when electricity demands are high. Various electric power utility suppliers currently offer reduced rates on electricity consumed during off-peak times. It is these reduced rates that allow TES to provide considerable savings to consumers on their energy bills as compared to alternative heating options.

An example of such off-peak energy reduction schedules can be seen in the figure (diagram 1) below, posted by the Ontario Energy Board. It’s price plan is representative of other similar programs across both Canada and the USA.

Pre-cast hollow core slabs are capable of storing vast amounts of heat and cooling for extended periods of time. During off-peak hours, the elements harvest and generate sufficient pre-heating or pre-cooling from the natural exterior temperatures that is stored in the hollow core slabs.

Concrete hollow core slabs are strategically placed between the floors and ceilings in order to facilitate the principle of thermal mass in which naturally-occurring heating and cooling is captured, stored and released upon demand. As such, thermally-stored heating and cooling is used to satisfy immediate indoor comfort requirements at no additional cost. Essentially, otherwise passive floors and ceilings are transformed into smart floors and ceilings that are super-charged through night pre-cooling and daytime heat derived from the sun and internal building elements including occupants’ body heat and devices like computers, lighting, etc. The result is an organic, symbiotic interaction between the interior and exterior of a building to produce a sustainable, environmentally-conscious and pocketbook-friendly method for maintaining indoor comfort.

The scientific principle of thermal mass is based on the concept of thermal storage, the process whereby building materials are able to naturally store energy in a reservoir for use at a later time historically dates back to the era of cavemen and still exists today in examples such as Adobe homes. Caves and other concrete abodes are intrinsically able to store cool energy at night thereby reducing the need for bulky mechanical A/C equipment during the daytime hours. The parlays into the building’s elimination of wet systems in exchange for radiant heating and cooling. While HVAC equipment still exists in the building, its size is significantly smaller and relied upon solely for supplementary purposes in extreme weather conditions.

TermoBuild’s unique, innovative environmental features include advanced thermal storage and radiant air-conditioning capable of harvesting, storing and releasing low-grade energy as needed.

Electric power utilities are very serious about improving electricity usage patterns and are stimulating the “smart” use of electricity by offering reduced rate incentives on electricity consumed during off-peak times. It’s these reduced rates that allow TES to provide considerable savings to consumers as compared to alternative heating options. Participants of the power utility sponsored program will also be given a Smart Meter to monitor the savings and usage of electricity used in off-peak hours.

For more information regarding questions applicable to your specific area, please contact us today.

To find out:

-      How much does it cost to install and operate a TES system?

-      How long can TES hold heating and cooling?

-      What happens if I experience a surplus charge of heating or cooling and I do not need it?

-      What type of maintenance is required?

-      How can this technology be applied to my new home?

About Jack Laken, President of TermoBuild:

JACK LAKEN, P.Eng. B.Sc., President of TermoBuild Canada is a specialist in thermal mass and energy storage. He brings over 30 years of Canadian and international experience in consulting engineering serving corporate, institutional and private clients. Recently, his expertise as a supplier with a design is focused on low and zero energy buildings aimed at leveraging dormant concrete to superior levels with a new wave of intelligent hybrid buildings.

For more information, contact:

Jack Laken, TermoBuild Canada

Canada                           905.764.1878

Toll Free in USA              347.905.0865

Website                           www.termobuild.com

Email                              jlaken@termobuild.com

Platinum Clinic is using the roof as thermal energy storage and radiant panels.

Waiting area has high ceilings using hollow core slabs as branch ducts terminating into conventional air diffuser.

Integrated air distribution with hollow core slabs delivers radiant comfort and improved indoor air quality.

Pharmacy forms part of the Platinum Clinic with self-cleansing ventilation.

Executive Offices with exposed ceilings (hollow core slabs) to deliver radiant heating and radiant cooling without wet systems.

Integrated Solar Thermal system with thermal energy storage. Hollow core slabs perform efficiently as thermal energy storage medium.