Radiant barriers are effective in reducing cooling bills in areas that are hot by blocking some of the heat that your roof absorbs from the sun in summer. The hotter the weather or climate, the more effective a radiant barrier is. In colder climates quite the opposite occurs, keeping heat inside.
A radiant barrier is a reflective insulation system, which blocks heat as opposed to absorbing it, which is what traditional insulation does. When the heat of the sun beats down on a roof, it heats the surface and that heat has to go somewhere. Some of the heat is conducted through the structure itself. Once inside the house the hotter air rises and the cooler air sinks. Eventually the heat in the attic will move down into the rest of the building through radiation. A radiation barrier stops the heat from going down into the house by reflecting it back to where it came from.
By blocking the heat, the barrier reduces the overall cooling bill in summer. The barrier is made of aluminum, and connected to another surface for installation. The aluminum reflects the heat back in the direction it came from, away from the house. The aluminum surface must face an open-air space to be effective.
Anything touching the aluminum surface can reduce its effectiveness as whatever is touching it will conduct the heat to the rest of the building.
It works by reducing the amount of heat that comes from the attic by 20 to 40 percent. This means the cooling unit does not have to work as hard to cool the house or building. It could allow a house or building to use a smaller air conditioning unit as a result, and that would be added savings. The opposite in the winter occurs by keeping the expensive heat in the home.
Radiant barriers are effective, but they are not a single answer that will solve every issue. Radiant barriers should just be part of insulating a home to save energy through the summer. Ask us to help you with these questions.
