How Do I Know If I Need Radiant Barrier?

Have you ever been in your attic on a hot, sunny day? Attic temperatures can easily exceed 140 F if not equipped with Radiant Barrier. This is because the radiant heat produced from the sun heats up the roof of your house. That heat then conducts through the roofing materials until it enters your attic space and then starts to radiate through your attic. This radiant heat then contacts the insulation and ceiling of your home and holds that heat, and releases it into your home throughout the day and night, increasing the demand on your HVAC system. In addition, many homes have the HVAC ducts running through the attic space, exposed to these very high temperatures, requiring the HVAC system to run longer to cool your home.

 

Installing Radiant Barrier (see Figure 2.) can reduce attic temperatures up to 28 F. Not only can the Radiant Barrier reduce your attic temperature, but it can reflect the radiant heat that is emitted from your roof and into your living space, reducing the heat gain to your home. Radiant heat can contribute up to 92% of the heat gain into your home. By installing a Radiant Barrier in your attic, any HVAC ducts that are running through the space are also exposed to much cooler temperatures. All of this adds up to less strain on your HVAC system, cooler attic temperatures, less heat gain into your home, and reduced energy bills. Studies conducted by the Department of Energy showed that installing a Radiant Barrier had up to 50% improved cooling and 10% improved heating over a similar structure without a Radiant Barrier.

Figure 2. Innovative Insulation, Inc. Super R Plus® Radiant Barrier installed on bottom of roof rafters. Innovative Insulation, Inc. has a wide selection of Radiant Barrier and Reflective Insulation to help you get on track to energy savings. Our team of experienced staff is here to assist you with your specific application. Give us a call today!