Radiant barriers: facts & pictures

Facts You Should Know:

• Having conventional insulation for your home is helpful, but by adding a radiant barrier, you will be saving a great deal on heating / cooling expense, and you will also have a more comfortable  living environment for your family. Depending on your climate, building setup, materials, lifestyle and family size, having a radiant barrier can save up to 17% in energy bills.
• Despite the lower effectiveness, conventional insulation still plays a part in blockng radiant heat transfer. For example, if you install a radiant barrier in an attic with zero insullation, you will see a bigger gain in energy savings vs. adding the barrier to an attic already full of conventional insulation.
• Radiant barriers do not absorb heat like normal insulation, instead the heat is reflected back out (up to 97% reflection). The absorption of heat from insulation such as fiberglass, cellulose or foam is measured by an R-value, but since a radiant barrier is reflecting the heat, it does not contain an R-value.
• Radiant barriers are also great in areas of high moisture. The insulation foil can be perforated to allow for moisture to escape, leaving you with a dry and efficient environment.
• Using a radiant barrier in your attic can reduce temperatures up there by up to 30 degrees. This is extremely important because lowering the attic temperature can in turn lower the temperature in the rest of the home, resulting in lower air conditioning loads and reducing overall energy usage.
• People might not know, but much of the heat in your attic is easily tranferrable to the rest of your time. By having a radiant barrier up there, you can reduce the heat transfer by anywhere from 16% all the way up to 42%.
• Radiant barriers also have an indirect relationship to the longevity of your air conditioning unit. The reduction of heat transfer from your attic to the rest of your home means your air conditioning unit wont have to work as hard to cool your home. Ultimately, you end up saving much more in the long run.