Radiant Barrier Vs Attic Insulation

A radiant barrier works best when it is perpendicular to the radiant energy striking it.
Radiant barrier vs attic insulation. Atticfoil is the proven solution for 250 000 homes. A radiant barrier is designed to increase the effectiveness of your thermal envelope. A radiant barrier reduces the radiant heat transfer from the underside of the roof to the other surfaces in the attic. Radiant barriers reflect radiant heat.
A radiant barrier can lower heat transfer from attics to the building below keep the attic space cooler and lower cooling costs by up to 17 in warmer climates. Next i compared adding an additional r 19 to my existing r 19 level of attic insulation vs installing radiant barrier and the results actually surprised me a little. Combining a radiant barrier with traditional attic insulation gives you a way to insulate your home from all three types of heat transfer. Our do it yourself radiant barrier will make your home more comfortable and energy efficient.
Is radiant barrier better than insulation. When installing attic insulation a case can be made for both radiant barrier sheathing with typical types of insulation as well as spray foam insulation. 100 satisfaction 1 year money back guarantee. This is because foil insulation reduces radiant heat gain rather than slowing conductive and convective heat flow.
Convection conduction and radiation. Both types of heat are trying to enter your home on a hot summer day. The sun heats up the roof and then the heat is transferred by radiant heat across the attic space until it hits the attic insulation. This in effect will reduce the amount of radiant heat that leaches into your home from your attic making is less comfortable for you and your family especially in the warmer months.
Also the greater the temperature difference between the sides of the radiant barrier material the greater the benefits a radiant barrier. Unlike fiberglass cellulose and other traditional thermal insulation radiant barrier isn t installed on the attic floor instead it s installed in the attic ceiling just below the roof. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics and help to improve the efficiency of green building envelopes. The radiant barrier resulted in roughly 4 times more savings than the added insulation.
Actually you need both but read below what we learned on two identical test homes built side by side in 1986 in phoenix arizona. We take a look at how radiant barriers work the different types of radiant barriers and some of the. Remember traditional attic insulation has r value that works to slow conductive heat. Radiant barrier insulation can reflect up to 97 of radiation and reduce attic temperatures dramatically.