Efficiency Benefits of Using a Radiant Barrier with Thermal Insulation

Homes which are being constructed today are "not built like they used to be", which can actually be a benefit. Present day construction techniques are more efficient on time and labor. Some of the materials used today, such as radiant barriers or foam, were not used in older homes because they simply did not exist. These newer types of insulation provide increased energy efficiency and monetary savings for home owners.

Houses built before wall board was invented were almost always incorporated lathe and plaster on the interior. Sufficient insulation to maintain a comfortable interior temperature was almost never used. Fireplaces were a common solution through a home. As a result of poorly insulated walls and prolific fireplaces, older homes have drafts and large air leaks which contribute largely to expensive utility bills.

Even in contemporary construction many builders will put the minimum amount of components into a house in order to just satisfy the minimum building code, whereas in a quality built home, much of the energy efficient materials are actually not readily visible. Future residents are always the ones to lose in these scenarios. There are, however, a couple of solutions to the age old problem of leaky and drafty houses.

Retrofitting an existing home with foam, cellulose or batting is often an invasive, laborious and expensive option. Another option, which has been growing in popularity due to the ease in which it can be installed, is a radiant barrier. There are several advantages of utilizing radiant barriers.

Radiant barriers can be used in the attic and underneath a home solely as the main type of material to insulate a home or augment existing insulation. Radiant barriers work by reflecting the outside temperatures away from the living quarters. Conversely these radiant barriers also help to maintain a comfortable interior temperature from escaping through the attic.

An oversimplified description of a radiant barrier is that it is a sheet of cellophane with a reflective foil layer on one or both sides. There are different procedures for installing a radiant barrier membrane. The two most common methods of installation are laying it on top of the attic floor joists and any insulation which may already be present or securing it to the underside of the roof joists. In either case it is important to maintain airflow in order to prevent an environment which will support the growth of mold. Some radiant barriers have small perforations to prevent just this particular situation.

When selecting a radiant barrier it is important to be aware that the insulation rating is not assigned an R-value, but is assigned its own scale of effectiveness. A professional installer will know which type of radiant barrier and what manner of installation will maximize the energy savings on heating and cooling the home. Minimizing the frequency and amount of time needed for the air conditioner or heat to run translates to direct monthly savings.

For additional information on the topic of insulation and energy efficiency visit Utility Improvements. Article independently authored by Daniel Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Utility Improvements. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.

Energy Audits - Reveal Suprises With Insulation and Air Conditioning or Heating Leaks

There are an almost endless variety of methods for saving money on monthly utility bills. For most home owners it means retrofitting an existing house or stop using electricity and water. While the latter two options are not a good or realistic solution, increasing the energy efficiency of the home is the best choice. There are several ways to do this from do-it-yourself projects to hiring a professional contractor or remodeler to complete the necessary renovations.

Some of the most basic maintenance and improvements pertain to one of the most common and problematic areas of a home's energy loss. Leaky gaskets and trim around doors and windows allow heat to penetrate into the home during summer time and escape during the winter months. Replacing door gaskets and improving the insulation around windows can generally be considered to be a straight forward task that many home owners should be able to accomplish.

Attending to the doors and windows however, will only address part of the problem of heat loss. The insulation in older homes can often be superior compared to newer residential construction. Many times it is not. An inexpensive and eye opening solution to determining the weak spots in the home's thermal envelope is to have a home energy audit take place.

Energy audits will reveal poorly insulated parts of the walls, ceilings and door and window frames. One weakness almost every home owner can expect to see is along the ceiling where there are built-in light fixtures or where walls meet the ceiling. Houses which have crawl spaces underneath the living quarters will also likely have poorly insulated areas.

Until relatively recently, the only way to correct these problems was to climb into the attic or underneath the home and add additional amounts of insulation. Adding insulation to walls, however, often proves to be messy, time consuming and expensive due to difficulties and labor costs. There have not been any acceptable alternatives until now.

One major development which has received nationwide attention and is becoming an increasingly popular method for improving energy efficiency is radiant barriers. Radiant barriers can be laid throughout an entire attic space from exterior wall to exterior wall. Unlike every other type of common insulation, rather than impeding the heat from penetrating through into the living quarters, radiant barriers actually reflect the heat of summer away from the ceiling and back out through the attic. The major benefit to adding a radiant barrier is that it is a non-invasive method for installing insulation or buttressing up existing insulation, unlike creating holes in the walls for installing blown loose fill insulation and then patching the holes. Radiant barriers will simply span the entire structure.

Different methods or techniques exist for applying radiant barriers. There are also different types of radiant barriers. Some are perforated, solid or double-sided. Which type will work best in an application will be determined by each specific situation and construction. A professional installer should be able to explain how and why one type and method is better than another.

For additional information on the topic of improving insulation using radiant barriers visit Utility Improvements. Article independently authored by Daniel P. Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Utility Improvements. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.

Home Energy Audits - How to Best Insulate the Leaks and Hot Spots in the House to Save Money

As energy and utility costs continue to skyrocket, energy efficiency has been thrust into the spotlight with regards to home appliances, vehicles, and fuel. The most expensive home appliance to operate is not the stove or dryer, but the HVAC system. Air conditioners use large quantities of energy, especially with every summer season becoming hotter and hotter. The culprit to high utility bills is not necessarily an inefficient air conditioner, but a drafty and poorly insulated home.

Home energy audits are relatively inexpensive, but can reveal all the cracks and crevices areas of the home where the home owner's money is slipping through. Infrared video cameras are a common tool to determine where much of the cold spots are throughout the house. During the summer season, hot spots will usually show up as a vivid red or yellow where the heat is penetrating into the home. During winter time, cold spots will be revealed as dark patches where the cold is infiltrating the envelope of the home.

Another useful tool is the blower door test where a door leading to the exterior is block off with heavy weight plastic sheeting and a powerful fan blowing out. By doing this, any leaks at poor gasket seals along doors and windows will be discovered. The majority of poorly insulated areas are located at windows and doors. Another common area is an attic access panel.

Even with these home energy audits, it still only reveals where the weak spots are in the envelope of the house; what to do about it is an entirely different problem. Tearing down wallboard to increase the insulation or knocking holes in walls for applying blown in insulation is a time consuming and often expensive solution.

A much faster and less invasive method for improving the home's insulation is to add a radiant barrier the full width and length of the attic. Radiant barriers do not perform as traditional insulation. Traditional insulation works by slowing the thermal transmission from the home's exterior to the interior, whereas radiant barriers actually reflect the thermal radiation which is what people experience as heat.

There are several different types of radiant barriers on the market. Some barriers are double-sided whereas others can have small perforations which allow air circulation through the membrane. Circulation is extremely important in attic spaces in order to reduce and inhibit mold from developing. Depending upon the specific application, however, a perforated radiant barrier may not be required. The local installer will be able to adequately advise the home owner as to the most efficient application for their home.

For additional information on the topic of lowering utility bills and energy efficient homes visit http://www.utilityimprovements.com.