Patent ID: 7827743

Claim:
An energy-conserving active thermal insulation system to be applied to the ambient surface of a building structure to be insulated, the system comprising: a) a first layer of insulation, b) a second layer of insulation formed of a plurality of pieces of insulation material spaced from one another by an air gap in the form of an elongated channel, the plurality of pieces of insulation material affixable to the ambient surface of the building structure and configured to separate the first layer of insulation from the ambient surface when affixed to the building structure, and c) a conductive ply extending completely across a surface of each of the plurality of pieces of the second layer of insulation, wherein the conductive ply joins the first layer of insulation to the second layer of insulation at the surfaces of the plurality of pieces of insulation material of the second layer and wherein the conductive ply is fabricated of a thermally conductive material, wherein a conductive channel is formed for each piece of the second layer of insulation where the conductive ply joins together the first layer of insulation and the second layer of insulation an active air channel is formed at each of the elongated channels between the first layer of insulation and the ambient surface when the system is applied to the building structure, wherein the active air channels are configured to enable the flow of air therethrough for the conduction of energy from that air flow to the conductive channels or from the conductive channels to the active air channels.