You know, nanotechnology, the science of manipulating the atomic structure of materials on a scale of a nanometer (one billionth of a meter)? The emerging science that captured the media’s imagination about a decade ago with visions of supercomputers mounted in wristwatches and X-ray machines that hang from your doctor’s neck like a stethoscope ... and then scuttled back into the laboratory for a prolonged reality check?

Well there’s finally something that nanotechnology can do for you — or, better, help you do for yourself, at your own home, with your own hands, at a price you can afford. While many of nanotech’s flashy gadgets and futuristic technologies remain in the research and development phase, a more mundane but — in this era of global climate change and energy shortages — perhaps more important product has emerged from the labs.

That product is called “Nansulate,” a paint-on insulation with an extremely low thermal conductivity value. Patented and manufactured by Industrial Nanotech Inc., Nansulate suspends specially engineered microscopic particles with nano-scale internal architecture in an acrylic resin, which is in turn suspended in water (similar to thick, acrylic-based paint). Nansulate is designed to be nontoxic and environmentally friendly, and because the microparticles are water-repellant, it is also an effective mold and rust inhibitor.

Developed initially for industrial applications such as insulating steam pipes and boilers, Nansulate found its way into the residential market by popular demand. According to Francesca Crolley, Industrial Nanotech’s vice president of operations and marketing, many people who learned about Nansulate through their jobs at industrial facilities inquired about the possibility of using it at home.

In response, the company developed a residential version of Nansulate that can be applied with a brush, paint roller or sprayer and cleans up with water. The product is designed for use on walls (usually interior), hot water pipes, water heaters and even skylights and glass block. (The clear product leaves a slightly cloudy film on windows.) Nansulate can be applied over existing paint, and it can be painted over once it has cured (a 30-day curing time is recommended).

Paint-on insulation can address the pervasive problem of uninsulated walls in older homes. While it is easy, in most cases, to put conventional insulation above ceilings and under floors, sealed walls must be opened and resealed or have insulation pumped through holes, which must then be patched. The cost/benefit ratio of insulating existing walls is therefore marginal, and homeowners often skip doing it.

At its current price of $66 per gallon (covering about 150 sq. ft.), Nansulate offers a highly economical solution to insulating existing walls. But while you’re at it, why not paint your ceiling, too, and conserve more energy — even if your attic is insulated.

How much energy can you save with Nansulate? Unfortunately, there is no data that directly compares the performance of Nansulate with that of conventional insulations. That’s because conventional insulations inhibit heat conduction as a function of their thickness (R-value per inch), whereas Nansulate is a non-conductor (insulator) that blocks both conductive and radiant heat flow even when it’s paper thin.

There is, however, a great deal of information about Nansulate’s performance based on real-life tests in industrial and residential settings. Factory owners have reported savings of 20 percent or more on their overall energy costs. Home energy savings of 20 to 40 percent are reported in testimonials on the Industrial Nanotech Web site.

I contacted the author of one of those testimonials, Kevin Lagario, who has used Nansulate at his home and in his green technology business in California (he has no financial ties to Industrial Nanotech). He had applied three coats of Nansulate to each side of a plywood shed housing hot water tanks, added some thin foil-and-bubble-wrap insulation and measured an inside temperature of 120 degrees when it was 60 degrees outside.

Although there are other paint-on insulations on the market, they are mostly ceramic-based and used on roofs and exterior walls.

Testing Nansulate in one or two rooms could show you if it is the appropriate nanotechnology for your ecological house.

Philip S. (Skip) Wenz is a freelance writer and former contractor, residential designer and teacher specializing in ecological design issues.