Heating buildings accounts for half of the world’s energy consumption. A Finnish company has designs on making it substantially more environmentally sustainable and efficient.
Engineers at The Warming Surfaces Company have created a novel concept for a paper-thin warming film that can turn any wall or even furniture into a radiator. The company aims towards "digitalizing heating for the age of sustainability, minimizing the amount of materials used in heating systems and reducing heating energy consumption," a statement from the company reads. Their new heating tech, called Halia, has been in the works for the past two decades and should be on the market next year.
“It’s not immediate, like lighting, but we’re talking tens of seconds to reach your desired temperature,” Jani-Mikael Kuusisto, co-founder of the startup, told Fast Company.
Halia can be used to heat only the parts of your home or office you need when you need it. This means there won’t be more energy waste or heating of empty spaces.
The heating film is less than one millimeter thick, allowing it to be embedded into almost any material - including fabric. And because the film covers a wide surface area, it can heat a space almost instantly. Furthermore, the technology could be combined with sensors so the heat is turned on only when someone enters the room.