Insulating Paint Additive

celpope asks,

Have you ever heard of or used insulating paint additive that is said to improve the heating and cooling of your home by painting the product on your walls and ceiling of your home and inside your attic? The paint additive contains ceramic microspheres that have reflective properties. I am interested in finding out how well it works. It's a NASA spinoff according to what I have read.

Our Answer

The concept of “insulating paint” has been kicking around for at least a decade to my knowledge. However, I've not seen any convincing data that it works as promised. Sure, ceramics are a great insulator for rockets but that doesn't mean it'd work well for walls and ceilings.

My suggestions would be to make sure al the basics of saving energy at home are covered, like draft proofing and insulation before investing in anything that is potentially unproven.