Would you want any of these phase change products for your home? To get an EcoFlow Delta Max, Delta Pro or some of their great accessories, go to the EcoFlow website: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=195 or to Amazon: amzn.to/3vSDqhZ. If you liked this video, check out How the CO2 battery could be the future of energy storage? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fbmqm5t1nbXKYJ8.html

Looks like this Delta Max is the best solution for power outages. With 2kWh of power it will have no problem at all.

30 years ago I worked for a company that was trying to get into this market. Their use case was for long haul trucks. The idea was that many truckers ran their trucks at night to keep the sleeper warm in the winter. They planned to use the excess heat will driving to store heat for night so the engine could be shut off. I left the company and lost track of the project, but I think it is safe to assume it went nowhere.

I've been using a PCM "chill vest" for years. It has large packs of a gell that solidifies at 57 F, so I store it in the freezer and wear it when I'm doing yardwork on a hot day. It's not exactly a 'still suit' from Dune, but it definitely makes me more comfortable and productive.

Thanks for the video. I do like that the Delta Max has the option to add a couple of extra batteries.

It does show a lot of potential. Since you can add extra batteries and increase the capacity to 6kWh. It will definitely come in handy during blackouts.

When used as "insulation" PCM simply increases the thermal mass in a much denser way than traditional insulation, but only right around the phase temperature. For homes that seems like it would be only advantageous in certain areas that fluctuate past that phase temperature, or fluctuate past the holding temperature, for a large portion of the year. In more extreme areas, like the northern US, a significant portion of the year is just cold and the PCM wouldn't help much. I see an application like Sunamp's thermal batteries as a much better use case as the energy fluctuations are in a much narrower band, allowing for more optimization.

We've had two SunAmps in our passive house since 2017 🙂 We just use off-peak mains power to heat these overnight and are fairly light HW users. Apart from energy density, the heat losses are fantastically low compared to a conventional UVC. E.g. our CH control system went offline whilst we were on holiday -- our son took 4 days to notice that the showers were running cold! Nice and simple we've never noticed water heating / flow issues in nearly 5 years of use.

I researched thermal storage materials during my diploma (equivalent to a master thesis). I think a small fact in the video could be misinterpreded: Most salt hydrates for thermal storage are no PCMs! They are usually used as thermochemical energy storage materials. Water vapor will be incorporated in the crystal structure of the salt, which releases a lot of energy. They have a higher theoretical energy density than PCMs (but have other issues for household usage). However both material classes have a huge potential.

Hey Matt, Thanks for the video. As an FYI, VAT is 20% here in the UK do its quite a bit pricier.

The key to the efficiency of such units as the Sunamp is that they can store a huge amount of thermal energy without the temperature changing and thus they do not need massive amounts of inrulation to retain that heat.

I worked with a PCM blanket developer in San Antonio back in 2013 while in the energy-efficient home business. I would have liked to see the platform under front-loading washers and dryers be the PCM hot water tank without the water. Layer the ketchup packet-sized blankets with copper tubing in an insulated box and run the hot water plumbing through the connections.

On the flip side, PCM's integrated into refrigeration units on the cold side can help alleviate short cycling and reduce total energy use. Instead of kicking on the compressor because the door was opened, air is circulated across the PCM to bring the temperature back down. This leads to longer compressor on times, less frequently, which is better for longevity of the compressor.

If you live somewhere that the night time temps are low and daytime temps are high, this would work simply by selectively exposing the material to indoor air or outdoor air, or even just letting sit there in the wall/attic and serve as a buffer. But if it is always too hot (summer time in about 2/3 of the US) or always too cold (about 2/3 of the US in the winter), then you can't get your product to phase change without a lot of complicated heat management. For example, you could have solar water heating panels in the North and you could pump your water (glycol) through them, let the water heat to above the PCM melting point, then circulate it into the PCM during the day, then circulate through the pcm and air handler inside the house at night. But now you added a significant level of cost and complexity and lots of failure points.

I have a PV charged Sunamp fitted as the hot water provider for a detached 3 bedroom house in the UK and have found that it provides just about all the hot water we need in summer. Having a EV we also have a cheap night tariff so as well as charging the car we also can charge the Sunamp if it needs to be topped off if there has not been enough sun during the day.

[Bonus Points]: If the phase change "modules" installed inside walls/ceilings are placed between two thin polyester wadding films (without touching them, keeping enough flow of air going through the modules from the hidden ventilation system), the acoustic insulation benefits do not compete with the thermal regulation eficiency.

Good job, editor! We appreciate you doing your job despite the constant power outages! Remember to save your work often!

I have a Sunamp Thermino heat battery running with the ASHP installed 2 months ago and it is brilliant. Works very efficiently and is economical to use for all our hot water needs in a 4 bed detached house although only occupied with 2 old wrinklies at home now.

Or just build your wall out of concrete/brick and use the thermal mass of a building as a battery. I live in a house that doesn't need air conditioning as the walls are 35cm of solid brick and another 20cm of EPS insulation on the outside. When the temperature was 36°C outside the inside was at a cool 22°C. Max out air fresh system or open up windows at night and it cools the house back to 20°C.

I had some knowledge about ice storage for commercial buildings HVAC and phase change cooling vests. So this seemed to be theoretically very doable. But this was the first that I have seen a presentation about it actually being marketed and used. Thanks for the video.

I've had a SunAmp Uniq12 since 2019 - it's great. In the winter we heat it with off-peak cheap electricity - between March and October surplus PV from our solar panels is more than sufficient to provide us with hot water and heat our towel rails. Having potable, mains pressure hot water is fabulous!

The pillow I use has PCM in it to help maintain comfortable temperature. After 2 or 3 years of use I've never once felt that it was too hot or too cold. Material science is so cool.

Another great video. Glad you mentioned your video and copy editors. Yours are the best quality videos of my taste on KZfaq. I appreciate that.

Thank you for the video. This brings back memories: I grow up in a small town in China, and our school don’t have HVAC, so we would get those PCM handwarmer and boil it when I get home to reuse

I was thinking about replacing my hot water tank with a tankless solution. Your video definitely helped open my eyes to other options, but there's still a lot of information I am missing. I'd love a more in-depth look at them with more solid comparisons between existing and accessible products, and the pros and cons!

Another good PCM is greenery on facades, cooling your wall with water vapour and warming by providing surface area for dew condensation and frost sublimation. Included is a insulation layer of air between the leaves and the wall, which saves even more energy. 😁

Adjacent to this subject, I have a PCM component to my mattress because I'm a very hot sleeper (to the point that during the summer it was... unpleasant). Made a huge difference.

I'm not sure I would buy into the hot water heater aspect, but using these materials to insulate a living space, especially here in the South, would be a good move and I would definitely jump on board with that. The fact that they wokr even when the power is out is a huge bonus. This, plus retrofitting with solar panels, are the two main things I would do with a new home here.

Thank you 🙏 again for your EXCELLENT work 🙏👏👏👏 #1,I THINK living in a 4 season state this PCM technology is not that attractive yet but I'm no engineer. #2, Can't wait to see your new home and it's modern solutions #3, your channel is still an awesome resource second to NONE 🥇🏆

This is an excellent video. I have wondered in the past, if hand warmers could be used to store heat at a much higher level. It’s nice to know companies are looking into it, and it’s on sale, although at an early stage.

Thanks for more fascinating and potentially very useful information Matt. My family and I are Australian and a few years ago our old immersion element hot water reservoir gasped it's last. We were advised by a plumber and family acquaintance that a 'Nanny' State Government was exerting strong pressure for installation of more energy efficient 'heat pump' systems during both new builds and replacements. Although a heat pump water heater was substantially more expensive than an immersion element model we decided to be environmentally responsible and spend the extra money on a locally made heat pump. Whereas our old immersion heater had lasted for more than forty years to our great regret and expense the heat pump failed within a mere five, years and would have been absurdly expensive to repair. We called the same plumber who installed the heat pump and were advised that heat pumps had "turned out to be a bad idea due to unreliability" and that the State Government had reverted to recommending immersion element heated units subject to specifically limited maximum reservoir capacity!

Love the video as always Matt. Not to be impatient or rush, but is there any ROUGH timeline for the house build videos? I know these things take time, but am VERY excited to see what you did

A low-tech alternative is just having thick walls. The large thermal mass has a similar effect.

BMW actually had these kind of sodium heat storage systems in some models of their cars. I had a 2000 528i that had one of these installed. Was supposed to help in the winter by allowing the car to store heat so when you turned on the cabin heater, it would get warmer faster. Was not a huge difference, but I did notice I had heat much sooner out of the vents than the same car without that system.

More excellent coverage Matt. Thank you.

I’d love to integrate PCM and the hot water battery into a home build someday! Love the idea. This, combined with some of the ideas from a video you did a while back regarding energy-efficient homes (I wish I could remember the exact title you used!), I see a big long term benefit.

The more options we have, the better. Thanks for covering all of them :)

Thund3rf00t will enjoy this. :D

I can't find it now, but I remember reading about a company that was researching incorporating PCM capsules in their drywall insulation and it reduced the cost of heating in the building by 20%. I'm always shocked at how this hasn't taken off, I used to know a friend who had a wood stove in their basement and they had an old crock pot that they filled with paraffin wax bricks and when they turn on their wood stove it would melt the pot, and then they would move the pot to their work area where they were in down there and it would keep that room while also still sending the wood stove heat up into the rest of the house.

Thanks for introducing me to Belinda's channel!

A very well done video. Informative, gives the information (cost, savings) anyone would need.

GE filed for a patent back in 2010 for a water heater utilizing PCM. The patent was assigned to HAIER in 2016.

I learned about PCMs when taking a class on greenhouse management and we were talking about ways to regulate the temperature.

I live in a ground floor apt. My windows are at road level so I don’t need ac in the summer, even at over 90f. I’m only 50% underground too! In the Colorado winters, it doesn’t take much to keep it cozy either. Matt, you should either consider going underground or partially underground. That’s the most efficient setup.

Thanks for the Belinda Carr suggestion.

I’ll be building next year. Keep the content coming.

Thanks Matt….I have a project and have been researching these options, G

Heard of PCM before, but didn't know it got to market now. Sounds very promising for various applications. If i had my own home, i would consider using it.

Yep I've had my hot water heated by a SunAmp PCM Thermino Heat Battery for the past 3+ years. Brilliant! There are several versions and I have one which has two heating methods and mine is optimised for Solar PV/Off-Peak-Grid recharging providing the equivalent of over 210 litres of instantly heated water from the stored energy. The alternative method of heating is by a second heat-exchanger and so there is a second pair of 22mm pipes connected to a Gas boiler or Solar Thermal or high-temperature Heat Pump (low-temperature Heat Pump version has PCM tunes to change phase at a different lower temperature). Because my unit is optimised for Solar PV recharging using an electrical heater. When charged via the electrical source 100% of the capacity is utilised, but when charged via the alternative source heat exchanger only 80% of the capacity is achieved (by design). I used to have a 1st Generation SunAmp which was optimised for charging from my gas boiler as the primary means and that could be fully charged by the heat exchanger with the electric charging as a backup only, but now I'm fitting PV there is a different use case. SunAmp Heat batteries can also be configured and installed as a buffer Heat Store with a Heat Pump allowing the heat pump to optimise its efficiency and then (Wet radiator based) central heating can pull the heat from this Store intermittently on demand thereby decoupling Heat Pump cycling from central heating varying demands allowing for smaller Heat Pumps. Another heat storage Becoming more popular in the UK is "Mixergy" using a sophisticated control system with a large water storage tank that heats the water from the top down in such a way as to create a Barrier zone between hot and cold water in the tank by use of a pump and clever nozzles. In addition to this, the control circuit can be networked across the UK allowing the system to dump excess cheap energy into the hot water tank to help balance the grid. Several thousands of these have been already installed in a large pilot scheme.

That's a cool idea. Even for passive heating and cooling. The temperature of the dwelling would be buffered at the transition temperature of the substance. That would be great for my place, which heats up and cools down each day with the sun. The cabin could stay at a comfortable temperature for longer, both as it warms and as it cools.

I can think of two good applications for pcm, one is to freeze a large quantity (a block the size of a refrigerator) on a hot sunny day to operate a cold loop through an air/liquid heat exchange for after sundown AC. The other is to store summertime heat (in something the size of a small swimming pool) to use in the winter to heat the house.

Interesting , Thank You , a lot of Interesing things coming , I hope they work

I have a Sunamp Thermino ePV 300 which replaced our old water tank. Its fantastic and lasts far longer in a smaller form factor

Love your vids, boss. Keep them coming. You bring my attention to tech that matters via entertaining, well-produced videos. Because of you, I'll look into a Sunamp when it's time for a new water heater. But re: the energy blankets... aren't they just a fancy version of the water tanks and energy walls they used for heat storage in passive solar homes circ 1980? I heard a sustainable architect at a sustainability fair in California mention that those storage tanks weren't effective, which is why he recommended the Passivhaus model as superior to thermal storage coupled with passive solar passive solar. So I'd be interested to see an architect's take on energy blankets.

This is what we need to see from all levels of government. Support of these new materials and technologies. The immediate change of building codes to include these things and drive towards passive/net zero. NOT taxing the use of existing forms of heating and cooling systems and fuels. The more new technologies are used the cheaper and more available they become!!

Hi Matt, could you please do a series on your home build? I suspect many of your followers would love to see what all of your insight can yield in a new home.

i remember leaving a comment asking for a video about the sunamp glad to have it.

Ahhh Sunamp, actually a really cool concept and already making its way into UK homes, good stuff it is

I'm stoked for your home build videos! With my Florida climate I am not sure this stuff would work that well in my home. I am in the process of ordering solar. Hope to have it installed soon.

I was in China 3 months in 2007. Almost every building I saw had Solar Heaters with a tank on the roof. Super simple and worked great. One time in Yangshwo near Guilin when the power was out so no water being pumped I needed some water in the bathroom. So I thought oh hot water on the roof and yes the gravity fed hot worked while the cold needing an electric driven pump did not. Seems all houses should have that solar water heater with optional electric heater or heat reservoir in case all the hot water is used up. Surprising there aren't clothes dryers which use heat from a solar mass heated up by the sun during the day.

Would love to learn more about PCMs in the future. Read about these in Popular Science decades ago and it's great learning about where they're fitting in now.

Belinda Carr 🤩 Her channel is a gold mine

Hi look forward to seeing your zero home adventure. We have completed one for a friend here in the Netherlands which was a retro fit. I am my self struggling to find available technology for our 1930s home currently using gas. Like the microwave boilers but they are not available here at present. Ps again great video thank you 😊

The key to phase change material is how much energy it takes to change phase. Imagine boiling a litre of water in your kettle. It takes what, a minute? Now how long does it take to boil the litre away, phase changing it into a gas? Twenty minutes, more? We could calculate it / measure it but the point is, there's much, much more energy in the phase change than there is in just raising the temp 75 degrees or so.

Now imagining combining the Energy panels in the walls with the super-reflecting space cooling from another of your videos, plus ultra reflective paint on the outer walls.

Since you need sufficient hysteresis on _both_ side of the PCM working temperature to make charge/discharge convection reasonably efficient, it either needs to be active (cost & complexity) or to be in an application where ~20F/10C fluctuations are desirable or acceptable. The obvious one is a greenhouse, but that gets cost prohibitive quickly if it’s not directly for human comfort. Soo… That makes it perfect for one of my favorite building ideas, a greenhouse coupled to the south (in the northern hemisphere) side of a house. The greenhouse and house are symbiotic for heat transfer; the greenhouse temperature will swing higher and lower than the house, giving and taking to keep the house comfortable. You’ll also spend more time in the greenhouse than a typical one, since it will be immediately accessible from the house and also with smaller temperature swings than a typical one, due to the house coupling and the PCMs (as well as hot water storage from air to water heat pumps). This makes the greenhouse space more valuable, possibly enough to justify the PCMs.

Undecided... good food for thought. Thanks!

I love that it just works without electricity or other actions. It's great as non-toxic. Only cost and effectiveness are the limits.

Matt, I'd just like to say that I really appreciate what you and your team are doing! You're single-handedly educating a world of people and will definitely have an impact on our future. Thanks man!

I thought that I had the video player in 2x speed setting, but no, its just Matt`s usual speaking speed WOW!

Great info as always, Matt! I feel like I’m following you around. In 2018 I had a 8.4 KWh system installed on my house and bought a M3. We’re moving in a month and the new place needs a new roof, boiler, central air and water heater (within a few years). I want to turn it into a net zero home. It’s time for me to brush up on my mind meld capabilities!!! If that doesn’t work. I joined your discord, just in case. I’d love some direction, if possible. Thanks buddy!

Thank you Matt for your knowledge and interest in this area. I want to replace our oil hot water boiler and coil, using no gas. Can we keep our hot water heat but powered by solar energy or electricity supplier ? Your response would be greatly appreciated.

I would love to get my hands on that stuff. We’re Getting into a basement remodel so not much temperature variance there. However the hot water invention would be super useful. Our hot water billls/electric and Ac bills are disgusting. Good video thanks for shading.

Good job on this video. I think he puns and face change technology will help heating and cooling our homes.

Cool stuff Matt. Thanks.

Ceres Greenhouses in Boulder has been employing phase change wall panels in their projects for some time now, with good results

I can see a possible use for this product in the greenhouse industry. I would look at hanging rows of panels from under the trusses in a north/south orientation, 90 Degrees to the ground. Because they are reflective, light loss would be minimal. Greenhouse structures fit the bill of heating up rapidly during the day and loosing lots of energy at night. Even at -30C greenhouses will vent heat with full sun, but the boilers run non stop at night. As always, you've got me thinking.

The big untapped potential in this is an ability to keep buildings comfortable while allowing the HVAC system to cycle according to energy management instructions from aggregators/ISOs. That would solve the renewable intermitentcy issue by allowing heating (and most transportation) load to be managed to match supply curves rather than having to manage supply to meet demand curves.

7:54 It's interesting, kinda works like any structure that has good thermal mass like a basement but with a state change to absorb or release that extra heat still i don't know about the precise temperatures you would need for this to be efficient, especially in places with extreme temperature fluctuation between the season. Like something that is great in summer could be bad in winter and vice versa.

The Apollo 15 to 17 Moon Mission *_Lunar Rovers_* had Paraffin heat exchangers to regulate the Battery temperature, during and after the Lunar Rover use!

Thanks!

I think the idea of the Sun-Amp solar battery will be the most widely used. I'd love to combine that with a hybrid PV/Thermal array especially in conjunction with a ground sourced heat pump.

Interesting; thanks for sharing, Matt

I bet these kind of materials would have great usage in public buildings. Here in Finland it's mostly cold and heating is needed almost all year around and that's why all buildings are insulated very well. However in office building or school for example, good insulation with alot of people inside heat up the space quickly so there's also cooling systems! (which is kind of bizarre...) These kind of materials could be a great addition to catch the heat from people during the day and release it at night. One thing didn't come apparent though and that's the danger of condensation when absorbing heat. Maybe I need to take a closer look of these...

Thank you for the video! It would be great to see a comparative US map based on geographic zones locations where the different technologies showing their efficiency percentages. I would be nervous about accidentally puncturing the insulating material. Again, it would be great to see on a US map where the best locations to utilize these technologies rate in efficiency. All the best-

Seems like the perfect isolation for a campervan/ caravan… Would be interesting what transition is possible…

Standard VAT rate in UK is 20% - the rate for the Thermino may be different but our government isn't known for encouraging environmental progress (eg insulation is still 20% VAT)...

Heating and cooling a home becomes alot more efficiency when the size of the room or house is smaller. Design homes with high utility and less mass wasted space and this alone will drop the cost for heating and cooling. This combined with good insulation and a efficient heating and cooling systems is $$$ Loft/bunk bedrooms can pretty much give u double the space and have 2 functions for a room with a smaller bedroom size. Kitchens don't need to be huge(look at food trucks) Dining room/living room combo has worked for many parties and get togethers. People like big living rooms and dining areas BUT combo rooms are the way to go. For the rich people trying to be eco, NOT EVERY ROOM NEEDS TO BE HEATED/COOLED in your billion dollar house Also idk blankets and dressing warm is good for cold weather. For Hot weather, cold shower, popsicles, and just dealing with it like how are ancestors use to do it. Poor people know whats up. People make the solution sound so hard but when in reality you just need to down size, and except less. Can't all live like kings.

It's exciting be this close to casually moving heat around instead of recreating it every time we need it.

I have a large property, so my heat source is a DIY solar thermal panel, and my "heat battery" is a 250 gallon IBC filled with water. Mains water flows through a copper coil immersed in the IBC, before going to my electric flash heater. The sun heats up the water in the IBC, and the mains water is so warm, the flash heater hardly runs at all. The panel and IBC form a thermosiphon, so that takes no power but the sun. The IBC cost me about $45. Not perfect, but my grid-tied PV system keeps me a negative balance with the electric company, so "good enough" is fine.

I have a Sunamp heat battery under my stairs since 2018. They work 👍

I could imagine combining PCM with heat pumps would be an optimal combination!

It seems to me that the best application for these materials at present would be in the insulation of fridges and freezers at all scales commercial home and trucking since the temperature setting should be relatively static you can fine tune the perfect pcm for refrigeration temps.

Very cool, Matt!

The concern I have with any system that stores energy in the walls or ceiling, is what happens when a nail gets put into it? Or screws?

This (PCM) looks like it would be an excellent insulator to use in a tiny home or van build.

Congrats on getting over a million followers 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

These are really good products, to reduce energy use!!!

Great video got thinking ......Is there a marine grade variant/boats to these enhancers of insulators? wrong term I think.

How many EcoFlow units can I pack in my Model Y boot, and how much can I extend the range?