Coming Soon: "Melting" Drywall That Cools Your Home

A new type of dry-wall could shave 20% off of cooling costs.

Not too long ago, it would have been sci-fi, but "phase change" materials are making their way to the U.S.: ThermalCORE, a new type of dry-wall panel created by National Gypsum and BASF, promises to help cut cooling costs with tiny little wax molecules that melt by day and harden by night.

Your typical dry wall is just a sheet of plaster, coated in paper-pulp; it's used in almost every building that goes up today because it's...