Radiant Barrier Foil
Whether you are suffering through summer heat with an overworked a/c or shivering through winter with high heating bills, perhaps you should consider something other than more insulation for your home. There is a common material which, when applied correctly to your home's structure will not only help you save 20 percent or more on energy costs but greatly improve the comfort level of your living space.
Radiant Barrier Foil - Radiant Barrier Insulation Info
It's aluminum, more specifically, it's a radiant barrier foil that reflects around 97 percent of the radiant invisible heat back toward the source. This is not the same composition as the aluminum foil you use on your baked potatoes, but from that baked potato, you can understand foil's effectiveness. Aluminum is rather unique among metals in that it is at once highly reflective and highly conductive. When you pick up a hot foil-covered potato, you can feel the heat that's being conducted outward through the foil where it contacts the potato. The invisible infrared heat inside is being reflected back to the center, keeping the potato hot for a long time.
The reflective quality of aluminum is being employed to great effect now in radiant barrier installed in attics, roofs, walls, and crawlspaces. It reflects 97% of radiant heat, has a Class A / Class 1 fire rating, and is non-toxic / non-carcinogenic. Unlike messy fiberglass, it is fiber free, so it doesn't require protective clothing or respirators to install. It is durable and lightweight, not affected by moisture or humidity, and easy to install and maintenance-free.
Most importantly, when installed properly it lowers heating and cooling costs year round. When used in conjunction with insulation, a 1/2 to 3/4 inch airspace between it and the foil is necessary, to hinder the foil's conductive property. When installed between rafters in an attic, remember to leave space at the bottom and top for heat to be properly vented upward and out the roof.
The foil itself has no R-value, so it technically isn't considered insulation. With that in mind, it's easy to see why there is confusion regarding whether a radiant foil purchase qualifies for federal tax credits. As of this writing in September 2009, experts seem divided as to whether you can expect money back for this wise investment. Tax credits notwithstanding, radiant foil barrier can be one of the best additions to your home to not only save on energy costs but make your home more comfortable year-round.
Radiant Barrier Foil Articles
- What is Radiant Barrier foil insulation? « Atlas Restoration Blog
27 Jan 2010 at 6:06pm
What is Radiant Barrier foil insulation? Foil insulation is typically installed in home attics to help reduce utility bills. Radiant Barrier is preferred over other types of insulations because foil insulation reflects heat back to its ...
- Perforated vs. Solid Radiant Barrier Products - which is best ...
25 Jan 2010 at 10:44pm
Perforated Radiant Barrier Foil. Why? Solid products like bubble foil insulation are called ?Vapor Barriers?. A vapor barrier basically stops moisture from moving from point A to point B. Or, another way to view this is that a vapor ...
- Adding Radiant Barrier to Attic Insulation | Attic Insulation ...
25 Jan 2010 at 10:26am
So if we install radiant barrier foil, do you recommend adding more insulation before the radiant barrier foil or is this enough? mygif. AtticFoil Said,. January 23rd, 2010 @10:38 pm. I would put in additional attic insulation and ...
- Radiant Barrier Installation Using the Open Ridge Method | The ...
30 Nov 2009 at 3:34pm
This video shows you exactly how easy it is to install Radiant Barrier Foil the Open Ridge Method by stapling up the foil to the ridge. ... Ed Fritz is the owner of AtticFoil.com, your complete online source for Radiant Barrier Foil ...