INSULATING YOUR HOME WITH A PREMIUM EXTERIOR PAINT JOB

Save energy costs and insulate the outside of your home with meticulous practices. Insulate the outside of your home with a NASA-inspired insulating paint product.

• Techniques to Save Energy Costs While Painting Your Home

Windows and doors and clothes dryer vents are where most conditioned air escapes and unwanted exterior air sneaks in, costing the homeowner money in his or her energy bills. A quality exterior painter knows this, and will seal gaps not just for aesthetics but to save you money.

First and foremost: siliconized caulk. Gaps around windows and doors need to be caulked before they are painted. Make sure the surface is clean and free of dust and grease, then apply a bead of caulk and smooth it with your finger so it fills the gap. This will help make the doors and windows airtight. This can save you up to $100 per year.

Secondly, when painting window sashes and their glazing it is a good idea to leave a line of paint over the glazing and on the glass that is roughly 1/10th of an inch wide – this well help create an airtight barrier on the glass pane and the glazing, preventing any drafts from entering the home.

Also, make sure to repair or replace rotted wood trim and siding. If not, moisture and air can find its way inside and adversely affect your energy bills, while compromising the structural integrity of your home.

Remember:

The exterior paint on your home is the skin that protects its structural elements from the weather, so a high-quality, professional paint job is important to your home’s longevity.

  • Insulating Paint inspired by NASA: The Next Big Thing?

Insulating paint, or radiant barrier paint, is a relatively new product that is still under scrutiny. This type of paint essentially uses traditional paint with an additive that’s main purpose is to reduce the build-up of heat, thereby insulating the building from the outside. A similar type of coating is already used today on piping and ductwork.


Oddly enough, the development of insulating paint began at NASA in an attempt to cool down shuttle components that became too hot during launches (the resulting products were too costly, highly toxic and environmental disasters). When businessman David Page, owner of Tech Traders Inc., saw a potential market for insulating paint in the residential sector he consulted with NASA’s Technology Transfer program office, a branch of NASA that provides technical assistance to small businesses.

With Page’s expertise and his new access to NASA technology, “Insuladd” was created for residential applications. Insuladd’s house paints, primers and roof coatings are non-toxic, economical, green and extremely effective. They have received a lot of positive attention from U.S. and international media for being non-solvent, low VOC and even California code compliant. Sounds great, right? Well, don’t get too excited just yet.

Is Insuladd worth it?

It costs roughly $45 per $5 gallon for the additive, which is a small price to pay if Tech Trader’s claim is true: that it can cut the amount of heat that seeps into your home by 20 percent. A 1/ 5th decrease on your energy bill would certainly be worth it if that’s the case. However, there are skeptics out there. The EPA, in 2009, expressed their concern that there weren’t enough studies performed that validated the performance of insulating paint. Other skeptics claim that the hype was bigger than the savings – they say that the “NASA technology” used in Insuladd provided great build-up, but the savings on energy costs have yet to be seen as worth the cost of the product, especially in homes located in mild or average climates. EnergyIdeas ClearingHouse – an independent alliance between Washington State University and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance – confirmed and supported the claim that 20 percent less heat penetrates homes coated with Insuladd paint, though they also remarked that it worked best on areas of the home exposed to direct sunlight all day long (not many areas of any homes are exposed to direct sunlight all day). EnergyIdeas also found that in winter, more heat escaped the house. They also asserted that insulating paint requires more maintenance than regular exterior paint: the products’ ability to reflect heat fades relatively quickly, requiring recoating more often.

But NASA disagrees. They stand by their man David Page and his product, arguing that Insuladd helps generated heat and air conditioning remain inside the home, thereby reducing homeowners’ energy bills. They say that this not only helps the homeowners’ finances and therefore the economy, but it helps the environment as well.

Proponents of insulating paint and their adversaries agree on one thing: the product should not be used in place of standard insulation and energy-efficiency practices but as a supplement to them in order to achieve optimal results.

So, the question remains: is insulating paint worth it? We don’t know. We’ve never used it, and there are compelling arguments on both sides. One thing is clear, however: $45 per 5 gallons of paint is not a significant cost increase when painting a homes’ exterior. Unless you live in a mansion, ten to fifteen gallons is more than enough paint for the average home – so it may be worth a try.

 

By Richard James D'Angelo, President of CraftPro Home Improvements and author of its home improvement blog. Thank you for reading!