This is a much advertised product on my local radio station. Anyone tried it out? How exactly does this work? The website states that it is similar to the way a spacesuit shields an astronaut.
My home has zero insulation, which I am planning to upgrade sooner, rather than later. This might be a nice addition depending on the price point.
And when you install it, your home will still leak like a sieve and your energy costs will still remain way too high.
Start here —> http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_sealing.hm_improvement_sealing
BTW, further reading from that links says radiant barriers do not qualify for an IRS energy tax credit. That by itself should tell you something.
It sounds like regular insulation with an aluminum foil added.
As for how it’s “similar” I’m assuming there’s a highly reflective layer in the suit to stop absorption of heat… vacuum is a near perfect insulator… so heating up is a problem in space. You can’t conduct the heat away to vacuum, so it needs to be radiated away… and the more you can reflect it away directly the better.
I don’t think there’s that much of a need for the foil when most of the heat while on this planet is probably more conducted through a medium, and not actually radiated directly.
I’m used to temperatures ranging from -40 to +35 (celsius)… and the only place my house has insulation with reflective properties is the sauna… but that runs at about +100C. Do I think you’ll need it all over your house… I seriously doubt it. Will it save you a few bucks in heating/cooling in the next decade… yea, probably even three bucks.
When you read up on the generic equivalent, it’s a radiant heat barrier with minimal to no insulation properties. As you state, the insulating qualities come from a vacuum of space and not the actual product.
If you have no insulation in your home and you install this product to save money and energy (heating and cooling bills), save yourself the longer pain and just burn an equivalent amount of cash in the fireplace. The long-term effect is the same. On the other hand, using a radiant barrier properly, as part of an overall home insulation program will save you cash.
I saw a Modern Marvels episode on insulation, and they showed a product developed at Lawrence Berkley Labs that was made of layers of aluminum coated Mylar, intended to be placed in walls. The product comes on a roll and then is inflated like a balloon with an inert gas.
Addendum after the 5-minute time out: I grew up in a home where we increased the R-value in the attic from the standard R-30 to about R-100. Yeah it was overkill but the cost factor at the time in insulation prices was minimal. However, the cost recovery that first winter was phenomenal.
Spit, think R-values and not the hype from the commercial. I’m betting if you contacted eShield and asked what the R value of their product they will do everything under the Sun not to give you a straight answer. Their FAQ page does quite a bit to discount time tested and proven mathematical R values with marketing hype e values.
Thanks for the answers.
I did not think it would be worth it on it’s own, but I was hoping it my tie in with the insulation I plan to blow in my walls/attic. The commercials make it seem like there is some static field or something at work, which I thought had to be marketing speak.