SPD the energy-saving wonder

Another tack used by REFR promoters, particularly of late with crude oil hovering over $50 a barrel, is to tout the incredible energy-saving properties of SPD film.

That's incredible, of course, in the sense of "not credible".

There is doubtless a certain amount of heat blockage inherent in the light-blocking capability of SPD. And the thickness of the glass is marginally increased by the inclusion of an SPD film layer, thus adding a nominal insulation value.

But the claims made (not independently tested, of course) by REFR and its promoters for energy savings using SPD film go far beyond that. A figure from 1998 (source unknown) suggests a 20% savings on energy costs from SPD. Later, a study came out that buildings lose 25% of their energy through the windows, so that became the standard value quoted -- as if SPD could magically prevent all energy lossage through windows on which it was installed.

One of the more humorous examples of the 25% figure apparently came from our good friends at InspecTech. The story was, that a pilot (for National Jets, presumably) reported that the cabin of his plane was "25% cooler" with SPD window shades installed.

When it was pointed out that it made no sense to use percents on temperature, since both common scales go negative, the story quickly changed to "25 degrees cooler". But even that strains credulity. Even assuming the Farenheit scale, does that mean the plane's cabin is routinely near 100 degrees? Or perhaps that SPD has some magical refrigeration property that takes that cabin down into the crisp upper 40's? All of this meanwhile, overlooks the fact that airplane windows, by the necessities brought on by high altitudes, are generally insulated roughly as well as the entire rest of the fusilage.

Finally, there's never, to my knowledge, been a comparison between the energy savings of windows with SPD, and windows affixed with a futuristic technology known as a windowshade. This, I strongly suspect, is because the results of such a comparison would be, at best, uncomfortably similar.

None of this, of course, keeps the promotional machine from its incessant claims that SPD is the miracle energy-saving technology that the world so desperately needs.

I just hope the world likes blue.