How Does Attic Radiant Barrier Work

According to the u s.

How does attic radiant barrier work.

Find out whether it s worth the money to install a radiant barrier in your attic. It is meant to supplement insulation not replace it. 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 can trap moisture in your attic because they don t have any way to regulate the moisture.

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. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics and help to improve the efficiency of green building envelopes. Unlike traditional thick layers of insulation radiant barrier is a thin reflective material. Department of energy the radiant barrier s ability to lower heat transfer keeps attic spaces cooler by up to 30 degrees which can help curb energy costs.

Radiant barriers work by reflecting the heat coming through your roof on sunny summer days. Radiant barriers work by reducing the heat absorbed by solid surfaces through reflective insulation systems. The perforations insure that moisture emitting from the house will not condense below the membrane. A radiant barrier is designed to increase the effectiveness of your thermal envelope.

However there is a highly reflective perforated radiant barrier specifically designed and tested on cold climates. In essence the foil barrier reduces convection into the attic from roofing materials that are heated by the sun. 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 and pass it into your home. A radiant barrier will be installed as a way to prevent your home from absorbing radiant heat in the environment causing it to reduce the amount of heat in your home as a result.

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. Does attic radiant barrier work. Also the greater the temperature difference between the sides of the radiant barrier material the greater the benefits a radiant barrier can offer. A radiant barrier can lower heat transfer from attics to the building below keep the attic space cooler and lower cooling costs by up to 17 in warmer climates.

A radiant barrier reduces the radiant heat transfer from the underside of the roof to the other surfaces in the attic. This is typically done when you purchase a new roof or when the house is being built. For example most homes don t have enough insulation to start with. A radiant barrier works best when it is perpendicular to the radiant energy striking it.