I have been skeptical by the claims of saving 20% on energy or more, there are many names out there, I purchased a few brands Hytech, Nansulate and Insuladd and preformed a test in my own small shop.
I first tried with a 48″ x 48″ sheet of aluminum siding, exposed each sheet to the same 150w UV lamp for 4 hours from a distance of 48″ away. The Temperature on the siding before any of the products were added at the same exposure was 138.4 Degrees F. Here are my results, insulating paint
Hytech: 135.1 F = Savings (3.3 F)
Nansulate: 135.4 F = Savings (3.0F)
Insuladd: 121.6 F = Savings (14.8F)
So my conclusion on the above test is that Only Insuladd offered any “Radiant Barrier” savings worth noting at 14.8 Degrees F less surface temperature.
My Second Test was using a standard sheet of drywall 48″ x 48″ x 1/4″ each. Again I exposed each side to the same 150W UV lamp at the same distance for 4 hours at 48″ away. The Temperature this time on the Pre-test was done with 2 coats of Behr Premium Plus Paint (white), with Just the paint the temperature had risen to 122.6 Degrees F. Here are my results when 2 coats were applied to the same non painted drywall sheets,
Hytech: 122.1 F =Loss of 0.1 F
Nansulate: 118.9 F = Savings ( 3.7F)
Insuladd: 106.1 F = Savings ( 16.5F)
My Conclusion is Nansulate and Hytech offer no real savings of any kind, Insuladd offered a substantial savings so Does Insuladd work? Yes! But the others barely helped at all. Needless to say I decided to use the Insuladd product to paint my shop and my home.
Derek Thompson
Seattle