Makrolon® 5M, a new product family of highly insulating transparent polycarbonate sheets, provides new potential for energy-saving buildings 

Darmstadt, Germany, April 24, 2008. With Makrolon® 5M, Bayer Sheet Europe is launching a new generation of multi-wall sheets. The innovative M-structure of each sheet produces a heat transition coefficient of up to 1.0 W/m²K, which guarantees extraordinary insulation. The sheets are especially suited for sunrooms, porches, and industrial buildings. This new product range is the response of Bayer Sheet Europe to the continuing readiness to invest in energy savings, which goes hand in hand with a strong demand for energy-saving construction materials.

Climate protection and resource savings have become priorities of energy policy, which is supported by legal regulations and development programs on the national level, and international agreements on climate protection. Sustainable energy savings in buildings, and thus the reduction carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, demonstrably offer the biggest potential for climate protection. Using energy-saving construction materials both in new buildings and remodeling is a decisive factor. Only the intensified use of this type of materials will contribute to achieving the ambitious goal of the reduction of harmful emissions, as stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. At the last United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali in 2007, the international community expressed its readiness to lay down binding goals for emission reductions in the Kyoto Follow-up Treaty, emphasizing the need for innovative energy-saving technologies.

For several years, Bayer Sheet Europe has put its strategic efforts into developing multi-wall sheets with excellent insulation properties. With its innovative and intelligent i-Line products, the company has set remarkable standards in energy savings and is now taking it one step further. „In terms of heat insulation and resource savings, the new Makrolon® 5M sheet is a new highlight in our comprehensive portfolio of polycarbonate sheets," says Guenther Winnerl, segment manager construction at Bayer Sheet Europe. And not without pride, he adds, „Unlike conventional sheets of the same thickness, the special M-structure of the each sheet, which comes in 25, 32 and 40 millimeter thickness, allows energy savings of up to 20 percent." This equals more then 2 liters of heating oil, or 2.5 cubic meters of gas, per square meter of roof surface annually. The polycarbonate sheets also stand out by their heat transition coefficient (U_g) between 1.0 W/m²K and 1,3 W/m²K (depending on the sheet thickness), their high rigidity, light transmission, breaking resistance and low weight. The sheets provide architects, planners and builders with a transparent material that fulfills the highest requirements both in terms of esthetics and ecology.

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