Patent ID: 7735327

Claim:
A thermal insulation system for residential and/or commercial buildings comprising: a packaged phase change material positioned within said residential and/or commercial buildings adjacent to a wall or ceiling such that a gap exists between the phase change material and wall or ceiling, said wall or ceiling subject to uncontrolled external atmospheric conditions, including solar-generated heat, said phase change material configured to store solar-generated heat entering into said residential and/or commercial buildings but prior to said solar-generating heat reaching an internal living or working space associated with residential and/or commercial buildings; an electromechanical air conditioning system to produce artificial air conditioned cooled air and configured to send the artificial air conditioned cooled air directly to said gap without first sending the artificial air conditioned cooled air to the internal living or working space associated with residential and/or commercial buildings; and a controller configured to cause naturally cool atmospheric air external to said residential and/or commercial buildings, the artificial air conditioned cooled air generated by said electromechanical air conditioning system or a combination thereof to enter the gap to selectively facilitate a phase change of the phase change material, said controller further configured to: a. cause the naturally cool air to enter into said gap when the naturally cool air is being at a temperature below a transition temperature of said phase change material; and b. cause the artificial air conditioned cooled air being at a temperature below the transition temperature of the phase change material to enter said gap when naturally cool air is above the transition temperature of said phase change material and said controller responsive automatically to one or more of the following parameters: a. temperature of air adjacent to said phase change material; b. external air temperature; c. state of said phase change material; and d. time of day.