Responding to a Trillion-Dollar Call to Retrofit Buildings

Positherm thermal demo.

The serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson brought to life an international need and business opportunity centered on thermally upgrading existing buildings, the world’s biggest users of energy. NYC’s Empire State Building was able to reduce its energy use by 40%, saving ~$400,000/year thanks to a retrofit. Sir Richard founded the “Carbon War Room” based in Washington D.C. to unite international entrepreneurs, business leaders, researchers, policy experts, thinkers, to focus on solutions, not rhetoric, in efforts to tangibly combat climate change while creating 1000’s of “green” jobs.

One game-changer leveraging Sir Richard’s vision is a LEED-rated composite which is many times stronger than concrete but is 80% lighter in weight. Positherm (PT) has ballistic properties, is water-, insect-, hailstone- and hurricane-resistant, but has thermal properties akin in part to NASA Space Shuttle tiles. PT is a multi-billion dollar global economic and environmental opportunity to make a difference.

Traditional tile, shingle and membrane roofing are cosmetic vestiges of the past. PT becomes an integral part of a structure, residential or commercial. PT is seamless, permanent and can be colored and textured to appear as traditional roofing. PT substantively adds strength and saves energy. PT more than pays for itself compared to what we know does not work in the 21st century.

There are no adhesives nor mechanical fasteners required. PT is sprayed or applied by a trowel. When “setting,” photovoltaic (PV) equipment or tracks for mounting PV’ can be imbedded in PT, thus “Solarizing the World on the Cheap” by cutting installed solar costs by half, or more*.

PT can be applied to exterior walls to cosmetically and structurally upgrade both existing and new construction. PT can be applied on the interior of a structure on walls and floors serving as a radiant heat source, as an option.

A 5/16 inch (5mm) thick section of PT will support the weight of a pickup truck.

PT cuts energy costs as well as property insurance premiums, adds appraisal value, and is eligible for energy rebates and tax credits depending on local incentives.

In the 27-nation EU, which has adopted cap-and-trade legislation, PT has enormous markets. Alone, the cost of thermal upgrading of buildings built in Germany prior to 1970 is estimated to be $40 Trillion!

Walter Feuchs, founder of PT, and his partner in this development will unveil PT at Abu Dhabi’s World Future Energy Summit (WFES 2012) in January in “The International Year for Sustainable Energy for All.” Abu Dhabi invested $15 billion to build a sustainable city in the desert, Masdar City, which is symbolic of that region’s commitment to the issue. An Abu Dhabi foundation recently committed to fund 5000 houses in Columbia, South America, employing PT as the basis for walls, roofs and interior.

World House exhibit at the UN in NYC.

Feuchs and his business partner will franchise PT internationally. Feuchs is already noted for the 30-minute assembly of a “World House” at the UN in NYC and other “game-changing” innovations such as a zero-energy house (ZEH) platform technology. A house that energizes itself and a form of transportation saves, domestically, $560,771 in the course of a 30-year mortgage. This standard could be the basis for 100’s of sustainable communities. Spin-offs include sustainable classrooms/clinics, food “factories”, and beyond.

*LBNL estimates that solar installation costs represent 75%-80% of total costs. By combining “Positherm” a permanent seamless roofing that fuses to a substrate could include embedding PV’s, or mounting tracks in Positherm as it “sets” represents a significant savings. The foregoing can be prepared in a factory environment with a 8 ft x 24 ft fiber composite structural and insulated roof panel that is fire-, insect- and water-resistant. In the case of the foreging panel, when selecting a peel and stick PV such as Uni-Solar, the task is simpler. There is no need for a membrane.