The DOE's 2009 'Solar Decathlon' includes entries from all over the world TAMPA, Fla., July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Living green is a matter of striking the right balance between innovation and environmental stewardship. With that in mind, Tampa-based Thermablok(R) donated 2,000 linear feet of its revolutionary aerogel insulation material to California architecture and design students participating in the 2009 "Solar Decathlon." The Solar Decathlon is a prestigious international competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that challenges 20 college and university teams to design, build, and operate the most aesthetic, energy-efficient model home possible. When students from the California College of the Arts (CCA) and the Santa Clara University, California began preparing for the competition, they approached Thermablok(R) President and founder Lahnie Johnson for information regarding energy-conserving Thermablok aerogel insulation. Thermablok's aerogel nano-technology, developed in conjunction with NASA, is the highest insulating material known to exist. It is estimated that 40-percent of our energy is used controlling the temperature in buildings alone. Most of this energy escapes from the building primarily through the conventionally insulated walls and windows in a process termed thermal bridging (an ever greater problem when popular foam is used in a wall.) Taking the newly discovered aerogel insulation technology, Thermablok(R) developed a highly efficient product that may soon become a standard in the building industry. Tests by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Laboratory and J.M. Laboratory indicate that adding just one, 1/4-inch x 1 1/2-inch (6.25 mm x 38 mm) strip of Thermablok to each stud before hanging drywall breaks the conductive "thermal bridging" path, and can increase the overall wall R-factor by more than 40-percent.