The InSpire HP solar air heating metal wall panel from ATAS International was recognized by Building Design + Construction as one of 75 top building products for 2023.
A jury of practicing professionals and the BD+C editorial team reviewed and scored the submissions, based on the following factors:
- Overall potential benefit to project teams (e.g., solves a problem, installs quicker, improves the building design, speeds construction)
- Usefulness to clients/owners/developers (performance, durability, design, ROI, maintenance, etc.)
- Impact on building occupants (health, wellness, safety, productivity)
- Overall innovation within the product category (Does it advance the product category in some way?)
InSpire HP, a transpired solar collector, is a metal wall panel with precision-lanced micro perforations that create solar air heating. The panel is mounted a few inches from the building’s outer wall. Solar heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations where it rises between the two walls and enters the building’s central ventilation system or supply fan.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Heating outside air is often the single most expensive energy budget item in a building and this is what solar air wall systems help to reduce. Solar air heating is a simple, renewable, and efficient technology using the sun as a source of heat. Transpired solar collector panels installed on building walls can be used for heating building space, outside air, and process hot air.”
InSpire HP panels can exceed 80% of solar thermal efficiency, per the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (SRCC). The InSpire Solar Air Heating Wall System is designed to provide preheated replenishment air for any building with a fresh air requirement. The solar air heating wall system has many applications and is available in a wide variety of panel colors and profiles, in concealed and exposed fastener systems.
ATAS International says it the product has "unlimited design potential" and is ideal for any new construction project and/or renovation projects, such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, sports complexes, and government or military buildings. Manufacturing facilities, water treatment plants, agricultural buildings, greenhouses, apartment buildings, and community centers can also benefit from the use of solar air heating. In addition to increasing a building’s energy efficiency, it will decrease its operating carbon emissions.
To learn more about InSpire HP, visit inspirewall.com.
