Transparent insulation materials market in Europe

Abstract

This paper presents the European market of transparent insulation materials as viewed by manufacturers. The objective of the study was to analyse the application of transparent insulation materials in the construction sector across Europe, determine the popularity of various technologies and materials used to manufacture them, the competition among transparent insulation manufacturers, investment in the development of new transparent insulation technologies, and trends in demand for transparent insulation in Europe. The analysis was performed on the basis of a survey of manufacturers. The use of transparent insulation is associated with high cost, yet the potential return on investment in the form of savings over the course of a building’s life-cycle convinces many potential developers to apply these materials. Based on the results of the survey, it can be concluded that European companies follow the increase in energy-efficiency and the transparent insulation market is prosperous, yet differs from country to country. It was observed that the positive perception of indirect heat gain transparent insulation systems was the most prevalent in Germany. The paper also explores the situation on the author’s domestic market – the Polish transparent thermal insulation market.