Air-conditioning in buildings is energy intensive and takes up large proportion of global energy consumption. To pursue low energy expenditure, herein, we propose a radiant air-conditioning strategy with infrared transparent and low thermal conductive porous polyethylene aerogels. The aerogel allows direct heat exchange between the cooling panel and human body via radiation and avoids cooling the entire space. Compared with traditional space air conditioning, a 6-mm polyethylene aerogel–assisted radiant air-conditioning saves the electricity by 31% under the same cooling and ambient temperature. Moreover, high solar reflectance and low thermal conductivity of the porous polyethylene hold great promise of the strategy in working outdoors. Our calculation demonstrates two-thirds of energy saving compared with direct space cooling in a typical summer day in Wuhan. These results show great potential of the cooling method in building cooling both in closed spaces and open conditions.

建筑物中的空调是能源密集型的，在全球能源消耗中占很大比例。为了追求低能量消耗，在此，我们提出了一种具有红外透明和低导热多孔聚乙烯气凝胶的辐射空调策略。气凝胶允许散热板与人体通过辐射直接进行热交换，避免对整个空间进行散热。与传统空间空调相比，6mm聚乙烯气凝胶辅助辐射空调在相同制冷和环境温度下节电31%。此外，多孔聚乙烯的高太阳反射率和低热导率在户外工作中具有很大的前景。我们的计算表明，与武汉典型夏日的直接空间冷却相比，可节省三分之二的能源。这些结果表明，冷却方法在封闭空间和开放条件下的建筑物冷却方面具有巨大潜力。