Radiant Heat Barriers


There are several ways that heat is transferred into your home. One of them is by thermal radiation. Infrared energy from the sun travels until it strikes a surface before giving up its energy as heat to that surface. If you have ever been outside on a very cold windless day and felt the warmth of the sun, you have experienced thermal radiation. In the summer thermal radiation strikes the surfaces of your attic increasing temperatures to as much as 150 degrees, this heat energy radiates downward into living areas, creating upper floors that are hot and uncomfortable. This also creates a strain on air conditioning systems as they try to keep up with the heat gain, creating an unnecessary energy expense.  One solution to this problem is to install a foil thermal barrier. The foil can be placed on the underside of your roof structure within the attic space. A foil barrier of this type can reflect up to 90% of the thermal radiation from the sun, and reduce attic temperatures by up to 40 degrees. Cooling energy savings can be quite dramatic, usually around 20% to 30%. The reflective barrier can also be spray applied, or in the case of new construction, plywood sheathing is now available with a foil membrane applied to the interior attic side. If you are looking for a great do it yourself project that can pay for itself in the first year and create a more comfortable environment, we recommend installing a radiant foil barrier.

image credit: coofoil.com

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