Abstract: Meeting urgent climate targets requires rapid, scalable reductions in operational energy use across the built environment and associated thermal-management sectors, where end-use losses from walls, roofs, glazing, refrigeration and pipework account for over 40% of global final energy demand—yet traditional fibrous or polymeric insulation materials struggle to achieve sub-0.20 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹ U-values without excessive thickness, embodied-carbon trade-offs, or compromised fire safety. This research presents a harmonised portfolio of ultra-thin vacuum insulation technologies (VITs), engineered to overcome such limitations by evacuating core materials to ≤10 Pa, thereby minimising convective and gaseous conductive heat transfer. The suite includes standard Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP), façade-integrated Decorative VIP (DVIP), 4 mm Vacuum Insulated Wallpaper (VIW), 7 mm Vacuum Insulated Curtains (VIC), their heatable variant (VIHC), and modular Vacuum Insulated Bag/Box (VIBB) systems, all advanced to TRL 7–9. Fifteen-millimetre fibreglass VIPs deliver thermal conductivities as low as 2.5 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ (U ≈ 0.16 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹), while 25 mm fumed-silica cores achieve 4.5 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. When embedded in 30 mm DVIP façade cassettes, these systems achieve λ = 7 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ with EN 13501-1 Class A1 fire rating, freeze–thaw durability, and aged performance exceeding 35 years. VIW retrofits reduce solid-brick wall U-values by up to 71% and lower space-heating demand in London homes by 30%, while VIC fabrics with 3 mm removable VIP inserts achieve whole-curtain conductivities of 13 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ and deliver 23% cooling-load savings in single-glazed Riyadh offices; the VIHC variant integrates low-wattage heaters consuming ~1 kWh per three-hour cycle to provide local radiant warmth in cold climates. VIBB containers maintain 2–8 °C for 120 hours in 40 °C ambient conditions, reducing reliance on dry ice or active cooling by 80%. Across building envelopes, transport logistics, AI data centres, and EV battery casings, life-cycle analysis demonstrates that VIT deployment can prevent 15–60 kg CO₂e·m⁻² over 25 years—equivalent to 20–90% abatement in end-use energy waste. This paper argues that modular, shape-flexible vacuum insulation offers an immediately deployable, technically mature solution for deep, demand-side energy reduction essential to real-world climate-change mitigation.

Biography: Professor Saim Memon is an accomplished CEO and Industrial Professor of Renewable Energy Engineering, renowned for bridging the gap between academic research, industrial innovation, and global market impact. With a distinguished academic career rooted in the UK, he holds a PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, and Manufacturing Engineering from Loughborough University, England; a PGCE teaching qualification from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland; an MSc in Mechatronics from Staffordshire University, England; and a BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, awarded with first-class distinction. Prof. Memon is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and he also holds Qualified Teacher Status awarded by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. His world-leading multidisciplinary research expertise encompasses Electrical, Mechanical, and Renewable Energy Engineering. Recognised internationally as a global public speaker, Prof. Memon ranks among the top 1% worldwide in the field of Energy and across all disciplines according to ScholarGPS over the past five years. This recognition stems from his extensive academic and research contributions, including over 150+ research publications and 37+ industry articles, accumulating more than 2300+ citations with an h-index of over 28+ and an i10-index exceeding 57+. He has served as Editor-in-Chief and Guest Editor for more than five journals and has fulfilled reviewer roles for over 40 journals. Additionally, he has delivered more than 90 invited, keynote, and visiting lectures and engaged in research collaborations with over 40 countries worldwide. Throughout his teaching career, Prof. Memon has delivered 41 modules as module leader in electrical, electronic, mechanical, and renewable energy engineering, consistently achieving over 90% student satisfaction. He has also successfully supervised numerous PhD, MSc, and MEng projects. Prof. Memon's academic leadership is further evidenced by his significant contributions as a Head of research group, degree apprenticeship programs lead, course director for MSc, MEng, and BEng (Hons) programmes, Deputy Head of the School of Engineering, and overseeing programme development, accreditation, and validation.