Feature
CHANGING THE INDUSTRY
WITH A BLANKET
By Ntsako Khosa
Samac Engineering is an award-winning mechanical engineering firm that supports
clean energy and zero carbon emissions through the development of renewable
energy technologies.
O
ver the past decade, Samac Engineering Solutions has
developed significant strategic partnerships which include
institutions of higher learning to leverage knowledge bases and
invigorate new technological innovations while enabling learners
to do internships.
Mpumzi Swana and Thabang Mofokeng from Samac
Engineering are a young duo that are ‘cooling’ the HVAC industry
down by as much as 35%. With a biodegradable product from the
US for which they have the exclusive rights, they can reduce air-
conditioning costs for cooling down buildings. The Company won
the 2018 SAB Kickstart Award for most innovative business.
“This acknowledgment by the biggest beer maker in the
world marks significant progress for us in our quest to become
one of Africa’s most innovative product developers,” they say.
Other awards the company has been nominated for include
the 2015 Transnet SAB Moving Ideas Programme, where they
landed in the Top 5 in South Africa and in 2017, the Top 5 Youth
Innovators in the Africa Energy Indaba where they showcased
their product at the exhibition.
THE PRODUCT
“An Eskom study showed that the HVAC industry consumes
about 17% of the electricity on the grid. So, it is an area to start
HOW AND WHERE IT WORKS
What the ENRG Blanket looks like.
48
when you want to look at energy efficiency and energy usage
reduction,” Swana says.
SAMAC Engineering has partnered with Phase Change
Material Energy Solutions to bring the ENRG Blanket technology
into the African continent. Phase Change Material Energy
Solutions has been in existence since 2011. “The energy blanket
can assist buildings in reducing their HVAC costs. That is where
the relationship engagement began with Phase Change,”
Swana says. The blanket is a product that improves the thermal
performance of a building. It is a bio phase change material
(BioPCM), which absorbs and releases significant thermal
energy at a specific design temperature to achieve increasing
levels of energy performance to lower heating and cooling
energy by 25 – 35%. “Buildings usually have a set temperature
which is maintained by the HVAC system. When there is a heat
load that is generated from inside the building the HVAC will
work to counter the heat load and cool the room. The ENRG
Blanket operates as thermal mass and works to absorb heat
that is generated from inside the building,” Swana explains. The
heat load is stored in the BioPCM gel that is within the blanket
which minimises the need for the HVAC to work to cool the
room. In the evening when the room temperature goes below
the building set point, the heat that was stored in the blanket is
released back into the building.
Phase Change Material Energy Solutions aspires to create
an energy-efficient future by using plant-based, non-toxic, non-
corrosive phase-change materials that transition from solid to
gel when they absorb and release heat.
RACA Journal I January 2020
The blanket actively absorbs heat when room temperature
exceeds the desired set point. This action delays the need for
mechanical cooling. The blanket absorbs and stores heat. It
releases stored heat when room temperature drops below the
desired set point. In summer, the daytime heat is moved more
efficiently into cooler evening air. In winter, the stored heat is
given back to the occupied space, helping maintain warmth
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