Should You Install a Radiant Barrier in a Cold Climate?

Radiant barriers have been historically popular in hot climates, but have been gaining a foothold in cooler climates. A home is a place where you want to keep air inside a certain temperature, and heat always moves from warm to cold. Heat flows out of your home in the winter, with the amount of heat determined by the difference in temperature inside and outside.

Walls do a decent job of reducing the loss of heat. The problem occurs in the attic, as most homes do not have an outer barrier on top of the insulation about the ceiling. A radiant barrier can help in cold climates by reducing radiant heat loss and minimizing convective air looping inside the insulation.

Have questions about radiant barriers? Get in touch with Utility Improvements at www.UtilityImprovements.com. 

How Radiant Barriers Work

You’ve probably heard a lot about radiant barriers, and how they can save you greatly on your energy bills. However, it might be confusing to understand how exactly they work.

Heat flows in three ways: conduction, radiation and convection, with the former two being the principal ways how heat flows into the home. Conduction is the flow of heat by physical contact. Radiation is heat in wave form that can be felt without actually needing to touch the source of heat. This radiant heat travels at a very fast rate until it is either reflected or absorbed.

Without a radiant barrier, your attic insulation can heat up to 130 degrees, and when this happens, your ceiling will act as if it is that temperature outside. To get comfortable, you’ll probably have to run the A/C at full blast, and this causes you to use a great deal of energy to suck out the heat.

A radiant barrier breaks the path to keep radiant heat from entering into your home, reflecting 97% of the radiant energy. In short, the radiant heat is back to where it came from, with no need to worry about the roof temperature increasing, and studies have show roofs with radiant barriers increase between only 2-10 degrees.

Need more information about radiant barriers? Contact Utility Improvements at www.UtilityImprovements.com. 

What Is a Radiant Barrier

One of the most common questions we are asked is, “What is a radiant barrier?”

A radiant barrier is also known as a reflective barrier. It restricts the transfer of heat through thermal radiation, which may be transferred through conduction or convection. It has been used in space exploration, textiles, construction, window treatments and as a form of home insulation.

The benefits of radiant barrier insulation include money savings and increased comfort. Some find that radiant barriers increase the home’s space, and warms ductwork and mechanical equipment.

Utility Improvements specializes in radiant barrier installations. Contact us today by visiting www.UtilityImprovements.com. 

Temper Shield FAQ

Here are some more of the common questions we get about Temper Shield:

How does Temper Shield work?

Most insulation will only slow down the transfer of heat. Temper Shield is a radiant barrier that reflects heat back.

Will it keep me warmer in the winter?

Yes! Heat will be held in the house when Temper Shield covers your attic insulation.

How does it keep heat out during the summer?

The sun’s heat will be reflected back before it can warm up your home. Cooler insulation means cooler homes.

Will it make my home hotter?

No. Research states attic temps with Temper Shield in place will be cooler.

I have insulation. Why do I need this?

Temper Shield will keep your heating and cooling expenses much lower and comfortable. You can save anywhere from 22-55% depending on several factors.

Utility Improvements knows Temper Shield. Contact us today by visiting www.UtilityImprovements.com. 

Home Insulation Tips to Save Energy & Money

One of the most important things you can do to ensure an energy efficient home is to install energy efficient insulation. Insulating your home will not only save you energy, but it will stop valuable heating and cooling dollars from escaping through the cracks of your house. An insulated home makes for a more comfortable home, as warm summer drafts won’t interfere with the air conditioning, and cool winter winds won’t get in the way of heating efforts.

Attic insulation

The attic is a big source of energy loss, and since most are easy to access, it’s the most important place you can insulate. Your attic should have at least a foot of insulation, and should always be cold if well insulated.

Weatherstripping

A great amount of energy is lost because of spaces around windows and doors. Weatherstripping materials are inexpensive and very effective, and most are easy to install.

Expansion Foam

This type of insulation works great if you want to fill a small opening that is a popular escape for energy. Expansion foam insulation can be used on spaces like wall plates, pipe openings and openings where cable and phone lines are run.

Curtains and blinds

When it comes to reducing energy loss, one of the easiest ways to prevent this is to close curtains and blinds at night to trap cold air and open them during the day to let your home be heated naturally by the sun.

Basements

Cellars and crawlspaces are home to many little openings that let heat escape, especially if they are unfinished. Insulating exposed joists and open crevices will ebb the escape of heating and cooling energies.

Interested in saving up to 50% on your utility bills? Get Temper Shield technology insulation from Utility Improvements by visiting www.UtilityImprovements.com.

Save Up to 50% on Utility Bills with Temper Shield

Temper Shield technology will reduce your summer and winter energy costs by up to 50%. This wonderful, NASA-designed product reflects 97% of all radiant energy. Utility Improvements can make your home energy efficient by installing this radiant barrier insulation. Here are some other facts about Temper Shield: 

• Unlike mass-produced insulation, Temper Shield reflects heat, not just slows it down
• Temper Shield keeps heat in the home during the winter, and reflects away the hot summer sun
• The product has been tested by the Florida Solar Energy Center at Cape Canaveral, and results found Temper Shield provides significant resistance to heat transfer

Learn more about what Temper Shield can do for you today by visiting www.UtilityImprovements.com.

Radiant Barriers - Save On Utilities By Improving the Insulation and Running the HVAC System Less

With the advent of newer and more efficient green building products, it is still somewhat of a surprise to find that builders are still using many of the materials originally developed in the early 1900s. Today there is a bevy of improved energy efficient insulation, such as spray foam, recycled denim cellulose and radiant barriers. Oddly enough, radiant barriers are not exactly insulation, as insulation is designed to slow the thermal transfer into the living quarters of a building.

When rolls of radiant barrier sheeting, which are composed of foil, are unrolled and installed in either an attic or crawl space under a home it is designed to prevent the outside temperatures from entering the home. The manner in which the radiant barrier works is similar to that of a foil wrapped baked potato and is based on technology highly implemented by NASA. As strange as this may sound, the use of radiant barriers is highly effective.

Unlike all other insulations, which receive an R-value indicating the thermal resistance of the insulation, radiant barriers are assigned different values. These values are emissivity and reflectivity. Emissivity or emittance refers to how much energy in the form of heat is radiated from the membrane. The lower the emittance rating; the better performance can be gained from a radiant barrier.

Closely related is the reflectivity of the foil barrier even though it may not be visually reflective. The reflectivity refers to the amount of energy is reflected away from the membrane. Reflectivity is rated from 0-1 or listed as a percentage up to 100%. The higher the percentage; the more effective the barrier will be. As the reflectivity rating increases the emissivity rating will decrease. A high reflectivity and low emissivity rating is most desirable.

New construction in progress will allow the installation of the barrier to be faster and easier. That does not mean that these barriers can not be installed in existing homes. While clearances will be tighter in a completed building, a home can be retrofitted with a radiant barrier membrane. The investment will be more expensive, but should come in well under what adding other traditional types of insulation would cost.

It is important to note that there are different types and quality of radiant barriers. Some are double sided, while others may be perforated. An example of this would be installing a perforated barrier in an area prone to high humidity, thereby allowing the environment to breathe in order to prevent mold. Installing a perforated membrane will not defeat the purpose of a radiant barrier. Depending upon the specific conditions present, an experienced and qualified installer like Utility Improvements may make recommendations on how you can lower your utility bills today by insulating your home.

Article independently authored by Dan 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.