If YETI can make a cup that keeps water cold or hot for hours and a cooler that holds ice for hours, then why aren’t we building houses with that same material?

Question

If YETI can make a cup that keeps water cold or hot for hours and a cooler that holds ice for hours, then why aren’t we building houses with that same material?

In: 824

Answer 1

The high end yetis insulate by keeping a small vacuum (no air) between the inner and outer layers usually. Heat doesn’t transmit well because there is no medium to carry the heat (air). That works well for a small cup or cooler, but to scale that up to be all the walls in a house is difficult, and any small puncture that let’s in air would ruin the effect. For the other materials houses have other requirements like fire code, and electrical and water concerns that may not be met by their material.