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Some manufacturers make big claims for insulating paint.

For example, Thermilate is claimed to be capable of:

reducing energy-loss through walls and ceilings by up to 25% with just two coats.

I'm no physicist but it seems like snake oil to me. Having worked with conventional insulation, I can't see how it could work.

Are there any independent studies on the subject?

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Needs a notable claim, is this the paint you're referring to - thermilate.com – Tom77 Feb 20 at 10:51
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The thermilate.com web site claims the paint "reduces energy-loss through walls and ceilings by up to 25% with just two coats." Does such a claim only pertain to thermal radiation (which might be measurable with an IR camera) or does it also include, say, convection (air exchange)? – Paul Feb 20 at 11:56
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It will work in prinicial en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulative_paint "Exacty how well it works is debatable" homerenovations.about.com/od/houseexteriorframework/a/… – bummi Feb 20 at 12:24
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@tofarr: Please tell us where you are getting those claims. Who is making the claim? Name the manufacturer or retailer. Where are they making the claims? Link to the site, or explain where you saw it. What are their claims, word-for-word? (Not "typical", but actual claims.) – Oddthinking♦ Feb 20 at 21:46
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Aerogel only need to be about blanket thickness to be able to withstand a flame thrower burning at 1700F (900C) and keep the other side safe to the touch, and the claim that NASA developed a similar technology seems to be true. However, I don't see how the technology could prevent convection, so I guess the claim is plausible if it is measuring only heat exchange through conduction and/or radiation. – Lie Ryan Feb 21 at 2:04
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