A TABLE THAT CAN LOWER YOUR ENERGY BILL? IT EXISTS.

It may look ordinary but the Climate Table is deceptively special

Without resorting to idioms, the nondescript exterior of the Climate Table hides its extraordinary potential: this table regulates temperature using only simple physics and a special wax.

The Climate Table is the first design in the Zero Energy Furniture series which was co-created by French architect and engineer Raphaël Ménard and French designer Jean-Sébastien Lagrange. Hidden beneath the table’s solid oak top is a layer of corrugated aluminum that holds phase-change wax. Phase change material (PCM) is capable of storing a very large amount of thermal energy in a very small volume, and aluminum was chosen to contain the phase-change wax because of its rigidity and its properties as a great thermal conductor.

So, when the temperature of the room rises above 22 degrees Celsius (the wax’s melting point), the wax begins to absorb excess heat from the air. Once the temperature drops below 22 degrees, the wax begins to harden, releasing heat back into the air. No extra energy is required. The temperature difference is not felt near the table, rather the designers refer to it as a “thermal sponge”. They claim that the table can reduce heating costs by up to 60% and cooling costs by up to 30%. Ideally, the table would be used in such situations as a meeting room where several people are confined to a small space that can quickly heat up.

A prototype of the Climate Table was presented during Milan Design Week this past April. Currently being presented as the ideal solution for public spaces, we will be interested to see if the Zero Energy Furniture range develops to include more B2C designs.