How Does Attic Radiant Barrier Work

Also the greater the temperature difference between the sides of the radiant barrier material the greater the benefits a radiant barrier can offer.

How does attic radiant barrier work. April 19 2019 posted in. The answer is that there are other things you can do that would be more effective in terms of energy efficiency. Ultimately a hotter attic means more work that your attic insulation and ductwork needs to put in. Find out whether it s worth the money to install a radiant barrier in your attic.

Radiant barriers are made of aluminum and designed to reflect radiant heat from the sun. Radiant barrier is a home insulation type that is focused on reducing summer heat gain. However there is a highly reflective perforated radiant barrier specifically designed and tested on cold climates. Installing 19 inches of batt insulation or 22 of blown in is the single most cost effective way to reduce your heating and cooling costs.

This allows the radiant barrier to reflect 96 of the radiant heat away from it and only allow 4 through it making the product a no brainer to use in many applications. Radiant barriers work on this same principle when they have a dead air space on one side. If the radiant barrier was not there the sun would heat the roofing materials and the heat transfer would occur into the air of the attic. A radiant barrier is designed to increase the effectiveness of your thermal envelope.

In essence the foil barrier reduces convection into the attic from roofing materials that are heated by the sun. The best way i have seen to describe this effect is it s like putting your home or office under a shade tree. It is meant to supplement insulation not replace it. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics.

By reducing the amount of radiant heat reaching the insulation in your attic the insulation remains cooler and is able to keep your home more comfortable. Increasing summer energy consumption and cooling costs. A radiant barrier works best when it is perpendicular to the radiant energy striking it. If you re searching for does attic radiant barrier work or is radiant barrier worth it this article will help.

Radiant barriers work by reflecting the heat coming through your roof on sunny summer days. Radiant barriers can trap moisture in your attic because they don t have any way to regulate the moisture. The perforations insure that moisture emitting from the house will not condense below the membrane. For example most homes don t have enough insulation to start with.

The temperature of the attic space increases and that heat is transferred to the building below. Does attic radiant barrier work is it worth it. Unlike traditional thick layers of insulation radiant barrier is a thin reflective material. R value of radiant barriers most radiant barriers themselves have little to no r value.

When installed properly radiant barriers can reflect up to 95 of the radiant heat off the attic. This thin reflective material is designed to bounce the sun s heat away from your home instead of allowing your attic to absorb the heat.