Radiant Barrier Paint Additive, Other Ideas?

18 years ago

We have a 2200 sqft house that is 3 years old. Typically our cooling costs are very reasonable with our highest ever being $170, and that was in the Texas August with 100+ heat.

Our most used living areas are on the East side of the house. We now have a new addition to the family and his room is on the west side of the house, sharing a wall with the west-facing garage. Since we are using this room move, we have had to bump down the thermostat to make it more comfortable, and were shocked with a $280 electric bill last month. IÂve checked and there seems to be adequate insulation in the attic over the house (none over the garage attic), as well as insulation between the wall separating the garage and house.

With limited funds, coupled with the fact that we will probably only be in this house for 2-3 more years, IÂd like to make some improvements, but not make a huge investment. The radiant barrier paint additive seems promising, as I could paint the west facing garage door as well as the west side of the attic, for minimal expenses. IÂm a little skeptical of these additives as they seem too good to be true, and are seem to be only found on the internet.

Does anyone have experience with these additives, or have any other ideas?

Comments (4)

DrynDusty
18 years ago
I don't know if this thread is still alive, but here goes. Are you quite sure the increase is not partly due to a rate increase? That sounds like a lot from a small increase in cooling. Just a thought. Norm
measure_twice
18 years ago
Sounds like the heat is coming in from an ultra-hot garage. You would do much better to insure the garage is ventilated enough. Even in MA, this summer hs been hot enough we have sometimes keep the garage door open 4 inches or so to help carry the heat up and out through the roof ridge vents.

Radiant barrier paint does not help much to reduce your energy costs.
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jjfrisco
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks. I actually tried the radiant barrier paint additive. I added it to an "oops" gallon of paint that I saw at a big box store. I applied 2 coats to the inside of the garage door and it did seem to help the garage. Prior to application at 5:00 on a 100 degree day, the garage was over 120. After the application the garage was less than 110 on two separate 100 degree days at 5:00.

I'm not sure if that will translate to a meaningful energy savings, but it will definately pay for itself since it was only $8 for the additive and $5 for the paint. I dont believe I would use this on walls that are already insulated, but I'm considering using it on the underside of the attic as well.

For anyone interested, I bought from a company called Kool Coat. I was very skeptical as the product arrived in a ziplock bag with a 1 page word document of instructions. I'm sure that its a 1 man operation who buys in bulk and sells smaller quantities on the internet. I'm sure most companies selling these additives buy from 1 or 2 suppliers, I just went on price.

I'd definately do this project again. Hope this helps anyone considering it.
oneme414_bellsouth_net
18 years ago
I know who you are talking about, Kool Koat. I was incredibly leery about them since it did seem so small when i contacted them. I only found one other company to provide similar products that has been around (accorind to the BBB) for longer than 5 years. The company, Hy-Tech, I think actually sells to Kool Kote, but you get it cheaper by going direct.
I ordered from Hy-Tech and definitely saw a difference!! I used it in my attic, which used to peak at about 140 degrees in the summer. after applying it last summer, i went back into the attic and it was actually bearable!! I ran downstairs to get a thermommeter and it was about 108 degrees!
I think that its a great product and definitely worth the investment

Here is a link that might be useful: Hy-Tech