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How Nanotech Materials Can Support Net Zero Buildings with Nathan Kegel

Author

Charlie Cichetti
October 15, 2026

QUICK TAKE

What if a coating 1 millimeter thick could insulate like a thick layer of conventional material, and you could prove it without waiting a year on a pilot?

Nathan Kegel spent 20-plus years in energy modelling. Now he’s at a materials science startup, building the simulation engine that tests its products before they ever reach a roof.

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🌱BREAKING GROUND ON BETTER BUILDING

In this episode, Nathan Kegel rethinks how we insulate buildings and how we prove that new materials work:

[Key Insight #1] Insulation doesn’t have to mean thickness

  • What's outdated: The industry rates insulation by R-value, and thickness is part of that calculation. More resistance has meant more material, more depth and more weight. Nathan half-jokes that R-value is “the bane of my existence.”

  • The innovation: Nanotech Materials puts a silica-based particle into coatings like acrylics and epoxies. Nathan says the particle has a K-value (thermal conductivity) on par with aerogel, without aerogel’s brittleness. Applied about 1 millimeter thick on a roof, the coating can essentially stop heat conduction through it.

  • Impact: According to Nathan, the roof product is rated for Florida’s 200 mph impact standard. A related spray-on coating, developed with the state of California, protects timber from wildfire and resists heat up to 1,800°C with very low smoke. You get thermal performance and resilience from one thin layer.

[Key Insight #2] Stop running endless pilots

  • What's outdated: A startup can’t coat a roof and wait a year to see if it worked. As Nathan puts it, “you might not be in business a year.” Slow field pilots stall innovation across the industry.

  • The innovation: One of Nanotech’s co-founders built a new physics engine from scratch rather than relying on older simulation code. It has been validated under ASHRAE Standard 140. Nathan is bringing it to market, starting with services and eventually opening the full platform to project teams.

  • Impact: Validated simulation means faster, more confident decisions about new materials. Teams can predict performance instead of waiting for it.

[Key Insight #3] Coat the pipe instead of jacketing it

  • What's outdated: Traditional pipe insulation needs aluminum-jacketed systems that take a lot of labor to install. Moisture can also get trapped between the insulation and the pipe, which causes corrosion under insulation (CUI).

  • The innovation: A coating a couple of millimeters thick, adhered directly to the metal, stops heat transfer without the jacket.

  • Impact: Nathan says this greatly reduces labor costs and nearly prevents corrosion under insulation, so the system costs less upfront and lasts longer.

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✅ CONNECT AND CONTINUE

🌿 Access full episode resources: Green Building Matters Podcast 

📄 Read the transcript: HERE

🔗 Connect with Nathan Kegel:

Visit us at At the Greenbuild 2026 International Conference + Expo, NanoTech Materials is located at Booth #1049

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