Radiant Barriers - A Smart Buy

NASA first designed radiant barriers to protect their spacecraft from the extremes of outer space.  All a radiant barrier does is reflect radiant energy from the sun.  It is important to know that radiant barriers are not insulating products themselves, nor do they take the place of insulation (such as blown cellulose, fiberglass, or foam).  They only serve to reflect the radiant energy away from the insulation.

A good radiant barrier can reflect as much as 97% of the radiant energy entering an attic.  Throughout a long, hot, summer day, the insulation on top of your ceiling is absorbing radiant energy through the roof.  Without a radiant barrier, that heat is captured by the insulation, held, and gradually dissipates as the sun sets.  The problem is your air conditioner is cycling on and off repeatedly throughout the day trying to keep your home cool.  That is why you probably hear your air conditioner kick on frequently during the day and less so at night. 

The good news about radiant barriers is they are relatively inexpensive, very effective, and easy to install.  Here is a picture of the radiant barrier we just had installed in our attic ...

The radiant barrier looks and feels just like tin foil and comes in sheet rolls about 3' wide.  If your roof has a high pitch and you can easily get to all the nooks and crannies, you can easily install it yourself.  Just staple the foil to the bottom of the rafters.  You can also just lay the foil on top of the decking, but that is less desirable since that is where you might also be walking.  By the way, the foam you see in this picture serves another purpose altogether.  That has made a huge improvement in our house with the air-conditioning.   Click here to learn about foaming your air conditioning ducts.

I called the company who makes the radiant barrier material (Innovative Insulation, Inc.) and they were very helpful in answering my questions.  They also gave me the name of several installers.  I found the cost runs from about $.69/sf to $.84/sf of home installed depending on the product used (and how bad the contractor wants the job).  I chose Joseph Perry with Foil Barrier (817-789-1057 or 214-762-3898) and he did a great job for us.  He did it in a single day with his two man crew.  I could have done it myself and saved a lot of money, but working in small, hot, attic spaces is something I would rather leave to someone else.

This is a home improvement that will keep paying for itself year after year.  I don't know what the break even payout period is but I have heard that it will reduce our heating and air-conditioning costs from 17-30%.  We'll monitor our bills and let you know if that checks out.  We feel good that we are doing what we can to help preserve energy.  I was also told there is a tax credit up to $500 for installing this product which makes it even more attractive.

If you want to buy the product and do it yourself, the company who manufactured our radiant barrier foil is Innovative Insulation, Inc. at Radiantbarrier.com.  I believe they said they were the largest manufacturer of radiant barriers in the country.  They office in Arlington and have a very informative website.

PS - I have also read a lot about aluminum based radiant paints.  They cost less to install, but I have my doubts about how well they work.  The literature I read said it only reflects up to 75% of the radiant heat (versus 97% for the foil), plus the attic might need to be repainted eventually do to the paint losing its effectiveness over the years.

Tom Grisak Estate Homes Realtors, Inc - Texas License # 0329533 3-3-6

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