Viridian Note 00180: Infrared House Paint

Key concepts: house paint, energy efficiency,
military spin-offs

Attention Conservation Notice: It's hard to get excited about house paint.

Entries in the Viridian Magazine Cover Contest:

http://communities.msn.com/saluviridian http://www.stewarts.org/viridian/a_magazine.htm http://homepage.mac.com/greenmed/PhotoAlbum.html http://www.earthlight.co.nz/~bretts/vmag.jpg http://www.ratsbane.com/viridian/main.htm http://www.unclestu.com/Viridian/Cover/index.html http://www.dcat.net/viridian.htm http://www.accesscom.com/~jerome/viripropbig.jpg http://www.casema.net/~maup/viridian/cover2.html

This contest expires August 31, 02000.

Link: http://www.radiancecomfort.com/

"A consumer benefit of 'stealth' technology

"Just as research for the U.S. space program led to consumer innovations such as non-stick coatings for pots and pans, Radiance paints bring home and building owners the benefits of one type of military stealth technology.

"The patented technology is based on a heat-reflecting paint that was developed to help protect NATO vehicles from heat-seeking weapons. ChemRex subsequently adapted and improved the technology to create an elegant interior latex paint for homes and buildings. Radiance's patented formula contains microscopic particles that cause it to behave like today¹s energy-efficient low-e windows == creating an emissivity barrier that reduces the transfer of radiant heat into or out of rooms.

"Radiance paint reflects up to 40 percent of radiant heat back into a room during cold weather (compared to 5 percent for ordinary paint), and it blocks up to 60 percent of radiant heat energy from entering a room during hot weather. The paint's emissivity values have been verified by leading independent research laboratories. In short, because Radiance paint helps keep radiant heat energy where you want it, you can feel comfortably warm in winter and cooler in summer while spending less for heating and air conditioning."

(((As an additional bonus, if your home is targeted by Warsaw Pact heat-seeking ordinance, you'll likely escape with only collateral damage! Unfortunately, this Radiance commercial agitprop does not address the central Viridian question: is this product sexy? We note with chagrin that it comes in a mere 72 shades, and that dark colors compromise its thermal efficiency. We'd be interested to hear of any Viridian hands-on experience with Radiance paint.)))