Posts Tagged ‘radiant barrier’
Are you familiar with a product called reflective insulation? It is also known as reflective foil or radiant barrier to some people. Have you wondered how this product works? It’s actually not new to the market, although not yet widely adopted by homebuilding companies across the nation. It’s primarily concentrated in hotter parts of the country like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
Reflective insulation isn’t only for new homes. It’s actually one of the easiest home improvement or retrofit projects that can be done to an existing home. A bonus is that installing reflective insulation in an existing home will cause little or no disruption to the family living within the home at the time.
For many other improvement projects, the family living in the home might experience a disruption in their everyday lives were they to retrofit any area of their home. In some cases, improvement projects even open up other unexpected issues when it comes to code and new standards. Fortunately, reflective insulation isn’t affected by any of that.
Your home may already have traditional or mass insulation up in the attic. Typically known as “the pink stuff,” much of the mass insulation in homes today is made from fiberglass and exists in long sheets of batting or perhaps loose fill. When placed between the joists in your attic’s floor, mass insulation slows down the transfer of heat from your home’s interior up through the attic and into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, slowing down this process does not limit it all together. Once mass insulation absorbs all it can, it emits the excess heat. In this manner, your HVAC system may be constantly working to make up the difference lost through the roof.
Reflective insulation is a thin, lightweight product made of 99% aluminum and a polyester scrim inner core. While very easily cut, the product is difficult to tear, which makes it easy to handle and install with a simple box cutting knife.
Reflective insulation may be laid on top of traditional insulation across the floor joists. Spaces between the layers are fine, and in fact may be necessary to prevent excessive condensation from building up. When placed on the roof rafters, reflective insulation also works in the summer to keep the sun’s hot rays from penetrating into the home through the attic. Your HVAC works less and the temperatures of your home stay more consistent.
Overall, the effect should greatly lessen the amount of radiant heat lost into the atmosphere through your attic. Your HVAC system will work less hard, saving you money and wear and tear on an expensive home appliance.
There are numerous ways to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Installing good quality aluminum insulation and new windows are great ways to keep air from getting into your home.
Maximizing energy efficiency is one of the biggest trends in new home building lately. There are a variety of ways to do this and they may not be as expensive as you might think. You can improve energy efficiency on virtually every decision you make, from appliances to light fixtures to choosing the right types of aluminum insulation. Being proactive about it while you build the house will equal huge savings when you finally live in it. These decisions can also positively affect your home’s value.
If the initial investment into energy efficient items in your home seems like a lot, check with your power company. Many electric companies offer credits and rebates for people making the switch to energy efficient items in their homes. Simply buying an energy efficient stove or refrigerator could put cash in your pocket in addition to the energy savings.
If you live in a climate with cold winters and hot summers, quality aluminum insulation is key to keeping things a comfortable temperature without losing a lot of hot or cool air, depending on the season. Use the insulation between floors to eliminate wintertime drafts. Invest in some high quality windows to prevent air from getting in or out. Some even come with a tint to keep the sun from beating in during those warm summer months.
While the important things for temperature control are windows and aluminum insulation, don’t underestimate your light fixtures when looking for ways to save. Always use the Energy Star rated CFL bulbs. They cost quite a bit more than a standard bulb, but can mean big savings. One bulb alone can save $40 in electricity over its lifetime. They use 75 percent less energy than a standard bulb and last up to ten times longer. Never underestimate the little things when trying to make your home use less energy.
Let’s face it. Mortgages are expensive. Homeowners insurance is expensive. That couch and 52″ flat screen TV? Both expensive items. Why don’t we look at the air we pay so much to heat (in the winter) and cool (in the summer) the same way? Why don’t we take the same care with protecting that investment?
Maybe the answer is because we can’t see it, smell it, or touch it. But the fact remains that most of us pay thousands each year in order to be comfortable when we eat, sleep, and live our lives. It’s time we took care of that, and radiant barrier perforated can be a place to start. That warm, toasty air that you’re enjoying is trying to escape right through your attic back outside. Traditional attic insulation can’t stop the air from escaping. Traditional mass insulation slows down heat by absorbing it; once the insulation has absorbed all it can hold, the heated air continues to rise and, well, is gone. That’s where radiant barrier perforated comes in.
When used in addition to traditional mass insulation, this lightweight, highly reflective and durable product will reflect heat right back into your living spaces. You’ll stay warmer but be able to turn the thermostat down! And in the summer you can stay cooler when you staple radiant barrier perforated up against the attic joists. Heated air from the outside will try to penetrate the attic through the roof but will be stopped cold by the radiant barrier and reflected back outside. The result is that your home will stay cooler without all that hot air making your HVAC system working harder. How’s that for protection?
In many parts of the country, the pressing heat of summer has started to subside. While the weather hasn’t turned cool yet, it’s at least bearable to spend time outside. Don’t let the weather (or those windows you’re now able to open) change lull you into being comfortable with the state of your home’s energy efficiency. We all know that Fall and Winter are inevitable.
Now’s the time to plan your energy checks so that you still have time to implement changes before the fierce weather kicks in. Here are some ideas to improve your home’s comfort this season:
- Start with the quick fixes, including windows and doors. Do they fit well and close easily? Do you feel air escaping?
- Clean the coils of your refrigerator and freezer. A build-up of dust keeps the appliance from operating at its fullest.
- Cover any window air conditioning units tightly with plastic to prevent cold air from rushing inside.
- Consider installing a radiant barrier into your attic on top of existing insulation.
You may have heard of some of these ideas before. Radiant barrier may have the most significant impact on your energy bill, so don’t overlook the value a small investment now will bring you over the lifetime of home ownership.
Radiant barrier, also called reflective foil insulation, serves as a barrier to block the transfer of radiant heat from one place to another. When placed along the floor joists in your attic, perforated radiant barrier will reflect the heated air from your living space (which rises into the attic) back down to prevent escape through the attic. The result is a more comfortable home at a lower thermostat setting, and lower electric bills.
I found this article about attic insulation that provides more detail. Take a look.
Foil insulation may be new when compared to fiberglass insulation, but that doesn’t mean that it is better. Foil insulation carries many more benefits.
The concept behind foil insulation has been around for years, but few people know the real benefits from it and still use fiberglass to insulate their homes, offices, garages, and any other place that they want to stay warm … but why?
Fiberglass insulation has been around since the late 1800’s; that is what people are used to and comfortable with. There are a couple 
of different kinds of fiberglass to choose from – rolled insulation (or batt insulation), and loose fill-blow insulation. Which one to choose depends on where you want it used. Typically loose fill-blow insulation is used in attics, while the rolled insulation is used for the rest of your home.
However, this type of insulation also carries some risks to the installer. It tends to be made from bits of glass, limestone and other harmful materials if inhaled or touched. It is recommended that you use heavy gloves and a breathing mask when installing it. If there were a different, better, safer way of insulating, wouldn’t you try it?
There are three types of heat transferring agents – convection, conduction and radiant, with radiant being the primary method. Fiberglass insulation, along with other types of insulation, reduces convection and conduction, but does little for radiant heat. These types of insulations will eventually let air in and out, causing your energy bills to go up. Yet what if I told you that you could reduce your heating and cooling bills, and save on energy use? Would you be interested? I’m sure you are.
Foil insulation, or a radiant barrier, holds its roots in aluminum foil (yes, the same foil we use around the house and in the kitchen), but they have their differences. Regular aluminum foil is thin, tears easily and is mixed with other alloys that will oxidize over time. Foil insulation contains more aluminum for better reflectivity and is coated for better durability and corrosion resistance. It also has a mesh interior to give it a bit of weight for easier handling. This type of insulation works by deflecting the radiant heat, keeping the cooler air in during the summer and the warm air in during the winter. All of this will cause your heating and cooling bills to be lower than ever before.
Now you know the basic differences between foil insulation and fiberglass. So next time you have to choose what kind of insulation to use, which kind of insulation will you go with?