INSULATING PAINT?

[Todd]

Anyone know anything about these insulating paint additives? They claim 20% energy cost savings. You just add it to your interior or exterior paint. I was thinking of using this product to my exterior concrete block on my walkout side of my basement. Think it would help reflect heat in the summer and retain heat in the winter?

www.insuladd.com

 

[Cath]

... Think it would help reflect heat in the summer and retain heat in the winter? ...

Todd,
I may be starting with the wrong assumption but if the heat this material claims to absorb comes from sun light then it seems to me that they can't have their cake and eat it too. Either it retains the heat caused by sun light or it doesn't.
~Cath

 

[Corey]

I don't know about the additives performance - 20% savings seems like a lot.

As for the heat reflection / absorption, there may be some incorrect use of terminology, but there are materials that can perform that function. 'Low E' glass for instance. In the summer, the heat is outside and the window is effective at reflecting the heat (aka 'long wave infra-red radiation) back to the outside. In the winter, the heat is inside and the window can reflect some of that heat back inside - in some instances while also allowing short wave IR from the sun to pass through and further warm the living space.

 

[Nofossil]

My vote: No way.

If you read the reports done by the testing lab that they include on their site, they start with a test wall of ridiculously poor insulation. and the heat loss at a 100 degree indoor temperature is reduced by only 6% even in that case.

There's a lot to be said for understanding and managing heat loss via radiation - it has a lot to do with how a warm human body perceives comfort at any given air temperature - but this paint isn't a magic bullet as far as I can tell.

 

[Rhone]

It's pretty much a hoax. It reflects radiant energy, adding it usually means your paint will be rather glossy. A test was done with it, with 2 identical structures, both painted white, one had the hollow ceramic ball spheres invented by NASA in it. They found the surface of the ceramic one was 105F the other 106F. However, I believe with the testing that close they were unable to say if it was because of their equipment, location, or other factors or did the ceramic paint actually account for 1% or would adding sand to paint have done similar (since the ceramic spheres add texture).

Another site I saw mentioned it has an R-Value of something like R2 or R3 per inch. Since 2 layers of paint are about 0.012" thick it equates to an additional R-Value of 0.0048 My justification that it doesn't do as advertised is if it were anything close to what they say everyone would be buying it and would be flying off the shelves. However, when I was thinking about it every person I saw that purchased it couldn't actually tell if there was a difference after applying. I did read however, that adding it to paint changes the characteristics of said paint voiding the warranty, and that it reduces the paints elastivity so any movement is more likely to cause a hairline crack, which opens up the paint to moisture pentration which causes its bonding agent to fail. So, adding it is more likely to cause the paint to crack, peel, or chip later.

 

[Cath]

See links below. One is to an article from a testing company that did tests for a similar product, using what seems to be the same "NASA technology" with the same claims of up to 40% energy savings. The testing company describes how their results --and the results of another testing company-- were taken out of context. This article directs the reader to a Federal website with information on the R value testing rule and to a complaint against the manufacturer of a similar product with similar claims.

TPRL homepage
http://www.tprl.com/
TPRL Inc article - Insulated paint or ceramic paint type products that claim wild insulation values. - - October 16, 2003
http://www.tprl.com/Stherm.htm EXCERPT TPRL Inc. would like to counter mis-information concerning various claims about insulated paint products that our company has tested. TPRL, Inc has measured the thermal conductivity of thin layers of insulated paint products and obtained thermal conductivity values. These thermal conductivity values are not R insulation values and we did not claim our results as R values.Our company did provide a memo that stated that a R19 value was possible under certain conditions which included how the HotBox test was done. The HotBox test performed by another company used a coating of insulated paint on top of a insulating media to get a R19 value. In real world conditions you will not get a R value of 19 from these insulated paints. A lot of people are believing that if they just paint their building it will add R19 to their insulation value. Other people are believing that if they leave off the insulation on a new construction and paint it with one of these insulation type paints the building will have a R19 insulation value. This will not be the case in either application. Be very careful of the data being presented and the claims being made. Much of the R value being presented is being done out of context with the intent to mislead. Will these type of insulating or ceramic paints help insulate ? Yes, to some degree much like a good thick coat of paint but nothing like the R-value claims being made.

As usual , if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Buyer beware !!

For further information on the R-value testing rule visit the Federal Government site: (broken link removed to http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/)

For a list of companies the FTC is pursuing for false insulation claims visit the above site and click on the 'home insulation & energy efficiency' tab and select 'Enforcement' under the heading of additional information.
For a link to a fairly current FTC complaint based upon a thin spray on insulation claiming an insulation value of R-20 visit: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/06/krytoncmp.htm

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION In the Matter of KRYTON COATINGS INTERNATIONAL, INC. and PROCRAFT, INC., corporations. DOCKET NO. C-4052 COMPLAINT http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/06/krytoncmp.htm
EXCERPT 3. Respondents have advertised, offered for sale, sold, and distributed a residential coating product known as Multi-Gard to the public under the trade names Liquid Siding, Liquid Vinyl, and Multi-Gard R-20 ("Multi-Gard").
…
c. The space shuttle uses this same ultra-thin ceramic technology in protecting its vulnerable under-belly from the 200-degrees-below-zero cold of outer space to the more than 2,000-degree heat of re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

[Exhibit A]
d. It Cuts Energy Loss by up to 40%
Using space-age NASA technology, Multi-Gard R-20® employs a thin layer of super insulating "Ceramic Microspheres" which dry to the thickness of a credit card, providing insulation equal to 7 inches of fiber glass batting.

[Exhibit B (Kryton Internet ad)]
e. The space shuttle uses similiar [sic] ultra-thin ceramic technology in protecting it's [sic] vulnerable under belly from the 200 degrees below zero COLD of outer space to the more than 2000 degrees HEAT of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. MultiGard R-20® is as effective a solution on Earth as it is in space.

[Exhibit B]
f. It adds R-20 to the exterior wall reducing energy costs up to 40%!

8. In truth and in fact, although the use of Multi-Gard and caulking may seal air leaks and cracks in buildings and, as a result, may reduce energy costs in some cases, respondents did not possess and rely upon a reasonable basis that substantiated the representations ... Therefore, the representation ... was, and is, false or misleading.

(broken link removed to http://www.insulatingpaints.com/pain...tive/index.cfm)
As an outgrowth of NASA developments for the space shuttle, special ceramic technology was created and Insuladd® insulating additive for paint is an outgrowth of that technology.

Insuladd® insulating additive not only provides for heat-energy reflectivity when added to paint, but also for heat-conduction insulating properties. With this unique state-of-the-art energy-efficiency technology, Insuladd® treated microscopic hollow ceramic spheres are incorporated into regular paints and roof coatings. As the coating dries or cures to form a thin film, the tiny insulating and heat reflecting Insuladd® spheres pack together to form a highly efficient insulating barrier that not only reflects most incoming solar heat, but also inhibits absorbed heat from being conducted through interior or exterior walls, ceiling and roof into or out of a buildings interior.
…
Insuladd® has proven to be able to save homeowners as much as 40% of their normal heating ands cooling costs!

~Cath