28/12/2021
New Insulation technology.
For many years, the “mass” insulation types were the only game in town. No one really understood what an R-value meant but blindly accepted that the higher the R-value is, the better it is for you as expressed by all the governmental agencies out of Washington and related code groups in every city. Today on the Utube, you hear engineering people questioning what exactly R-value is or what it actually gives you. In researching the history of the R-value back to 1979, you find the fiberglass manufacturer came up with the R concept to sell the insulation. At that time, the DOE Oakridge National laboratory (in charge of the testing and study of insulation materials) along with engineers from ASTM, DuPont and the US Commerce Deptartment reviewed the testing performed to find that these were not random pieces of fiberglass selected for testing, and that they only tested 1.5 to 3 inch samples to determine the per-inch R-value, and then simply said that value is linear beyond 3 inches, which is totally false and then finally, there was only one temperature selected to test for the R-value on all “mass” materials or standard insulation materials, that being 75F (23.9 C). Even the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) said “given the temperatures throughout the US… “ (found in their FTC 16 CFR 460 Rule found in the FEDERAL REGISTER under that title) temperature does not represent the climates, but they allowed this to stand.
This all came to light when the FTC and code groups realized that the R-value required code is actually a “Monopoly” established by the “mass” groups early on to restrict competition and any new technology developed. The “Insulation Coatings” technology is here and proving out. Many of the “white paints” claiming insulation abilities have been eliminated due to the lack of qualified testing and field study results as proven by true insulation coatings. A true insulation coating will test and show stable results at any temperature, as well as can resist moisture and air filtration (none of the “mass” types can do this). The insulation coating type covers an entire wall or roof to seal and insulate, while the “mass” can only install “between” studs and rafters, allowing heat gain/loss in these areas. Studs can represent 17% of the wall space not insulated. These are facts that can be easily researched and verified. Given that engineering is questioning the real world insulation abilities of standard “mass” materials , it is time to rethink what you are getting instead of blindly doing the old specification repeatedly - !!
