Conserve Energy Through An Attic Radiant Barrier
Conserve Energy Through an Attic Radiant Barrier
One of the most effective ways of conserving energy costs is by installing an attic radiant barrier. A radiant barrier is a material which serves to reduce heat loss during the winter season and heat gain during the summer time. It actually helps you to record up to 30% reduction of heat gain during the summer months thus ensuring reduction in work load of your air conditioning units and ultimately a reduction in your energy costs.
Radiant barriers can be installed for use in both commercial and residential buildings. They also go by a number of names although they all refer to the same materials and perform the same function. Some of the names by which radiant barriers are known includes: Aluminum Foil Insulation, Foil Insulation and Attic Heat Barrier. Others are; Reflective Foil and Attic Insulation. Radiant barrier curtains and a radiant barrier wrap can also create the barrier effect.
The attic radiant barrier works by curtailing the radiation of the heat generated when the sun’s rays heat the roof of the house. This heat normally travels through the roofing materials to the underside of the roof and into the attic from where it is distributed through the air ducts and attic floor. However, when the radiant barrier is set on the attic floor, its reflective material ensures that the heat is reflected back to the roof thus preventing it from being absorbed and transferred through the attic floor.
This results in far less amount of heat being absorbed and more coolness retained within the house. In a similar vein, the radiant barrier prevents heat from being absorbed and transmitted through the attic floor and roof as it is reflected back towards the lower parts of the house during the winter months. Radiant barrier can also be mounted on the roof of the house from where it can directly reduce the heat gained although this might have a negative effect during the colder months.
Installing radiant barriers is better and easier done in new homes but it can be done in old ones as well. They are typically installed in the following places:
i. Cavity walls
ii. The space between the sheathing if the roof and the insulation on the attic floor
iii. The area around door openings
iv. Around water pipes and heaters
The cost of having a radiant barrier installed in your attic depends on a number of factors. It must be noted however, that the actual gain will be seen in comparing the cost saving in using the radiant barrier as against not using it. Ordinarily, if your home is new, it is far easier and therefore cheaper. Additionally, if the radiant barrier had some features, it might add cost and if it is simply mounted on the attic floor as against the roof rafters, then it will be cheaper.
In recent times, there has been growing popularity for the use of the attic radiant barrier, particularly in the parts of the United States where heat is usually a problem such as California. This has prompted the government of those states to adopt the radiant barrier as a key component of their energy code with California recording significant success in its implementation.
