In comparison to conventional thermal insulators, superinsulation materials (SIMs), such as silica aerogel or vacuum insulation panels, provide a similar insulation performance at half to a quarter of the material thickness but this superior thermal insulation performance typically comes at a significantly higher material cost. However, under certain conditions, the use of superinsulation materials in building walls allows for the creation of additional floor space.

Here, we derive a simple equation to quantify the cost to create such additional space using superinsulation materials as opposed to conventional thermal insulators. The equation has six independent variables, namely the thermal conductivity and cost of the superinsulation and conventional insulation materials, as well as two building geometry parameters. Notably, the cost to create additional floor space is independent of the heat transfer coefficient (U-value) of the wall.

The real estate price distributions within major cities around the world are presented in order to compare the cost to create additional space with the potential financial benefit.

The analysis of typical construction types, combined with the real estate data, shows that, from a financial perspective, the use of superinsulation such as silica aerogel or vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) is already clearly profitable in several major cities globally. Improvements of the production processes of superinsulation materials and the associated reduction in costs will be key drivers to make superinsulation materials economically feasible for many other locations in the future.

与传统的隔热材料相比，超级隔热材料 (SIM)，例如二氧化硅气凝胶或真空隔热板，在材料厚度的一半到四分之一处提供类似的隔热性能，但这种卓越的隔热性能通常需要明显更高的材料成本. 然而，在某些条件下，在建筑物墙壁中使用超级绝缘材料可以创造额外的地面空间。

在这里，我们推导出一个简单的方程来量化使用超级隔热材料而不是传统隔热材料创造这种额外空间的成本。该方程有六个自变量，即超级隔热材料和常规隔热材料的热导率和成本，以及两个建筑几何参数。值得注意的是，创造额外地面空间的成本与墙的传热系数（U 值）无关。

提供了世界各地主要城市的房地产价格分布，以比较创造额外空间的成本与潜在的经济利益。

对典型建筑类型的分析，结合房地产数据表明，从财务角度来看，使用二氧化硅气凝胶或真空隔热板（VIP）等超级绝缘材料在全球几个主要城市已经明显盈利。超级绝缘材料生产工艺的改进和相关成本的降低将成为使超级绝缘材料在未来许多其他地方具有经济可行性的关键驱动因素。