A shading insulator, or shinsulator, is used to cover a
thermal mass
In building design, thermal mass is a property of the matter of a building that requires a flow of heat in order for it to change temperature.
Not all writers agree on what physical property of matter "thermal mass" describes. Most writers use ...
(e.g. roof pond) and
insulate the thermal mass as needed, either by re-radiating escaping heat back down towards the thermal mass, or by reflecting solar heat off the panel, reducing heat gathering by the thermal mass.
In the summer, a roof pond system cools the building during the day using a shading insulator, or "shinsulator" to reflect
solar energy
Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...
away from the roof pond and minimize the heat gathering that occurs. At night, the shinsulator can be retracted to allow the roof pond to release stored energy into the environment. Throughout the winter, the system can be used to heat the building by absorbing solar energy during the day with the shinsulator retracted. At night, the shinsulator can be repositioned over the roof pond to minimize heat loss to the
environment, allowing gathered energy to radiate into the building.
Thermal protection
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