A method of forming maintenance-free rolling door vacuum slats includes an elongate tubular member forming a cavity with a substantially uniform cross-sectional configuration along its length and forming first and second opposing ends conforming to the cross-sectional configuration. A first cap seals the first end. A second cap seals the second end, a vacuum being formed within the cavity. The first and second caps are joined to the elongate member to form a hermetic seals to render the slat airtight forming a permanent vacuum insulation barrier that requires no maintenance to restore the vacuum within the cavity.

An insulation system for a structure includes an insulator comprising a flexible sheet movably coupled to an exterior wall of the structure, an interior temperature sensor configured to measure an interior temperature within the structure, an exterior temperature sensor configured to measure an outside temperature of an environment surrounding the structure, a light sensor disposed outside the structure and configured to detect a sunlight intensity, and processing circuitry in communication with the interior temperature sensor, the exterior temperature sensor, and the light sensor. The insulator is movable between a deployed position in which the insulator covers a portion of the exterior wall and a retracted position in which the insulator does not cover the portion of the exterior wall. The processing circuitry is configured to actuate one or more motors to move the insulator between the deployed position and the retracted position based at least in part on the interior temperature, the outside temperature, and the sunlight intensity.