RADIANT BARRIER
Put simply, a radiant barrier stops the sun’s heat from entering your home. Conduction, convection, and radiation allow the sun’s heat to penetrate your home, but radiant barrier installation aims to put a stop to this. Radiant heat (i.e. radiation heat) concerns thermal energy that presents itself as electromagnetic waves. A radiant barrier is thus designed to protect your home against this type of heat by utilizing reflective materials that combat this effect. As a result, an attic radiant barrier is one of the most effective ways to protect your home from the sun’s intense rays.
If your home is in a hot climate, you may find that radiant barrier installation is a necessity. An attic radiant barrier allows homes in hot climates to keep cool air within their homes, allowing them to save huge amounts of money on powering air conditioning units and other similar appliances that cool down your home, such as ceiling fans.
How does an attic radiant barrier work?
Your roof is heated by radiant energy from the sun, which soon travels through your roof assembly via the process of conduction. The underside of your roof (in your attic) thus becomes hot and radiates this energy to the rest of your attic and home. A radiant barrier is made of materials that are designed to stop radiant energy from traveling through the roof deck and penetrating your house any further than it already has, meaning that the heat cannot reach your air ducts or attic floor as a result.
Radiant barrier installation can be performed on both new and existing homes, meaning that everyone can harness the power of an attic radiant barrier. A radiant barrier is usually made of reflective foil, and doesn’t come with an R-value like other forms of insulation. This is simply because it is fundamentally different to normal insulation; it is trying to keep heat away rather than keep it in. Radiant barriers are usually installed in the attic by stapling the material to the roof deck’s underside, which normally means stapling it to the rafters.
Why should you consider radiant barrier installation?
An attic radiant barrier allows you to protect your home from intense heat, especially during the hot summer months. As a result, you’ll spend a lot less on energy, saving money on power bills that you would’ve normally needed to power the air conditioning units and fans in your home. Radiant barrier installation is a smart and cost-effective way to combat the sun’s intense rays within your home.
