The Energy $avers Home Page
We have learned the biggest reason for the air-conditioner to run in the summer is radiant heat gain. The biggest reason the furnace runs in the winter is radiant heat loss. Insulation, new windows, new siding, and caulking take care of conduction and convection, but very little of radiation.
Our solution is Radiant Barrier. One of the best ways to bake a turkey on the holidays is to put aluminum foil over the breast of the turkey. The foil will keep out the direct heat to enable it to be nice and moist. I think we have all been to a restaurant and had a baked potato that was so hot we couldnt eat it right away! The heat was held in the potato by the aluminum foil. Radiant Barrier reflects heat out (like the aluminum foil on the turkey) in the summer and reflects heat in (like foil around the baked potato) in the winter.
This picture represents your attic without Radiant Barrier. The heat comes down through the attic into your home and kicks the air-conditioner on. Why isnt the insulation holding out the heat? We need to remember how insulation works. It only absorbs the heat to try to stop it. Insulation works like a sponge with water. Once the sponge is full of water it becomes useless. When the insulation is full of heat it, too, becomes useless. What happens to your air-conditioner when you get 2 or 3 hot days in a row? Answer: It runs all the time! Did you ever ask yourself this question? Why is the air-conditioner running at 3 AM when the sun went down at 8 PM that night? Answer: The sun goes down at 8 PM and if it is cool enough the insulation starts releasing heat, not only up, but all directions, even down into your home. Before it releases all the heat here comes the heat again the next morning and adds to it!
Instead of allowing all that heat in your home, you need to put Radiant Barrier in the attic to keep the heat from getting into the insulation. If you can keep the insulation cooler, your home should be cooler, too. Saving you money and keeping you more comfortable.
Every satellite that goes into outer space has a shiny protective barrier on it. The Astronauts space suits keep the body heat in, and reflects the suns heat away. Firemen have shiny protective suits, so they can be closer to fires to get them out faster.
In the winter the same thing happens, only in the opposite direction. Your heat source comes out of the furnace, up to the insulation and out through the roof. If you live in areas that get a lot of snow in the winter, you will notice that some homes have snow on the roofs longer that others. If they are losing snow off the roof very quickly, they might as well put $$ on the arrows going out through the top of their roof. Furnace men say, "Every btu that comes out of the furnace eventually gets out of the home". It just makes sense.
Instead of allowing all the heat out of your home, you need to put Radiant Barrier in the attic to keep the heat in your home. Saving you money and keeping you more comfortable. Still, "Every btu that comes out of the furnace eventually gets out of the home". But with Radiant Barrier in the attic, it will keep the heat in longer, recycling the heat. We should all be into recycling any thing!
Any time you find a product that is good, you will find another person say that it is not good. That is what these test laboratories wanted to prove. Radiant Barrier was tested in all these areas. All over an R-19 insulation, the minimum that homes should have. If we can lower our electrical and fuel consumption, we should be able to lower the utility bill at the end of the month. We have had people put Radiant Barrier in their homes having less than R-19 insulation with great results.
This is what can happen in homes with Barrier.
Where Can I get Radiant Barrier?
