Patent attributes
Instead of focusing solely on material insulation as a solution for energy efficiency, a wall construction, or other opaque structure of a building, can include a sequence of highly reflective insulation elements that block heat energy exchange across air spaces, combined with material insulation supporting a heat energy highly reflective surface of the highly reflective insulation element. A highly reflective insulation element is formed by enclosing an air space between surfaces, of which one or both of those surfaces is a heat energy highly reflective surface. The heat energy highly reflective surface can be provided by a layer applied to a material. In an opaque building structure, two or more such highly reflective insulation elements, using three or more heat energy highly reflective surfaces, and two or more air spaces, where the material supporting at least one of the heat energy highly reflective surfaces is a material insulator, can improve energy efficiency.