The use of radiant barriers as a method of permanently reducing utility costs and increasing the comfort of homes and buildings dates to the 1920′s.   Its use soon faced much opposition – traditional forms of insulation being preferred.  However, the effectiveness of radiant barriers and reflective insulation continued to gain the interests of architects and engineers who were focused on energy-efficiency, and they began to specify them in their building and design plans.

Ultimately, their determination and that of the reflective insulation industry – coupled with scientific support of the benefits of radiant barrier that was becoming widely available, convinced governmental agencies, builders, and consumers to accept it as a way to build higher energy-efficient homes.

In 1945,  Alexander Schwartz,  president of New York City’s Infra Insulation, Inc.,   produced a radiant barrier reflective insulation product called INFRA Insulation,  designed specifically to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss in homes and in commercial buildings. In the 1950′s, INFRA Insulation introduced an accordion-fold style product to the consumer market that was advertised as something that was easy to install by anyone who could use a staple gun.  Newspaper advertisements even showed women installing the radiant barrier in their own homes.

In the mid 1950s, NASA was trying to find a way to protect astronauts during space walks from extreme temperature shifts ranging from -273 degrees Celsius to +238 degrees Celsius. Instead of trying to insulate the suits with a seven-foot thick protective layer using conventional insulation, which was obviously impractical, they turned to Clark E. Beck, PE, of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to engineer the development of reflective technology for the space program.

Weighing only slightly more than 17 pounds per thousand square feet, the material’s reflective surface kept more than 95 % of the deadly direct radiation from the sun (radiant heat) from reaching the interior of the space suit to keep them cool.  Small holes allowed moisture to escape, while keeping longer heat waves from getting through.  Aluminum foil radiant barrier also reflected the heat of their own bodies back at the astronauts to keep them warm. The material maintained constant, comfortable temperatures inside the space suit.

Beck could not have foreseen the variety of applications for which this insulation material would someday be used. By the early 1960’s, millions of square feet of radiant barrier had been installed in homes and buildings. Unfortunately, an unfavorable FTC ruling against Infra Insulation Inc.,  and Schwartz’s sudden death resulted in the removal of the product from the market entirely by 1965, and the business closed.

Soon after the collapse of Infra Insulation Inc., several companies began to develop their own reflective insulation products in a variety of forms including those that contained bubble layers; single-sided aluminum Kraft paper-backed barriers,  aluminum-faced fiberglass,  and aluminum faced cardboard products.

To be continued…

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