How Does Attic Radiant Barrier Work

A radiant barrier reduces the radiant heat transfer from the underside of the roof to the other surfaces in the attic.

How does attic radiant barrier work.

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. Radiant barriers are made of aluminum and designed to reflect radiant heat from the sun. R value of radiant barriers most radiant barriers themselves have little to no r value. Increasing summer energy consumption and cooling costs.

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. The answer is that there are other things you can do that would be more effective in terms of energy efficiency. The best way i have seen to describe this effect is it s like putting your home or office under a shade tree. Attics heat up when the sun s radiant energy heats the shingles and the heat is transferred to the interior attic space through the roofing materials via conduction.

Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics. Ultimately a hotter attic means more work that your attic insulation and ductwork needs to put in. Does attic radiant barrier work is it worth it. If you re searching for does attic radiant barrier work or is radiant barrier worth it this article will help.

For example most homes don t have enough insulation to start with. April 19 2019 posted in. Unlike traditional thick layers of insulation radiant barrier is a thin reflective material. In essence the foil barrier reduces convection into the attic from roofing materials that are heated by the sun.

Radiant barrier is a home insulation type that is focused on reducing summer heat gain. It is meant to supplement insulation not replace it. Find out whether it s worth the money to install a radiant barrier in your attic. 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.

When installed properly radiant barriers can reflect up to 95 of the radiant heat off the attic. 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. The perforations insure that moisture emitting from the house will not condense below the membrane. Radiant barriers can trap moisture in your attic because they don t have any way to regulate the moisture.

The temperature of the attic space increases and that heat is transferred to the building below. Radiant barriers work by reflecting the heat coming through your roof on sunny summer days. However there is a highly reflective perforated radiant barrier specifically designed and tested on cold climates. 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.

Also the greater the temperature difference between the sides of the radiant barrier material the greater the benefits a radiant barrier can offer. Unlike fiberglass or cellulose insulation radiant barriers do little to prevent the conduction of heat or cold through the air and have no r value.