A Win-Win During the Cold or Winter and the Heat of Summer.
With the economy and employment rate in shambles, every individual and family is trying to skate by with the meager amount of income that is being brought in, especially with repairs and house repairs needing to be made. Trying to save money on the luxuries is simple; just stop buying them. Cutting back on the necessities, such as food, heating and cooling, and fuel is another matter.
Most families do not have much of a choice about paying for their air conditioning and heating. If they do not pay, then the climate will become very uncomfortable. There is a fairly good solution to the cost of this high utility bill. A radiant barrier installed in the attic can greatly enhance the comfort of the living quarters and help reduce the expensive utility bill.
Radiant barriers are probably the easiest material to retrofit a home's insulation. The most common method of installing it is essentially to lay it directly over the existing attic insulation. While installing a radiant barrier is fairly straight forward, it is not recommended for the do-it-yourselfer, especially if there is a vaulted ceiling involved. A few key points need to be followed in order to not cause potential problems.
The ventilation of the attic needs to be maintained and in some cases improved. Should the ventilation not be sufficient, the home owner will be introducing a much greater chance of mold, mildew, and rotting. Assuming the ventilation is adequate, the majority of homes are already set up to receive a radiant barrier.
It is important to take notice of the manner in which the radiant barrier is secured to the joists or rafters. Staples are not a recommended way of securing the radiant barrier. Special tape is best to make the seams of the overlapping joints. Occasionally, it may be necessary to use staples in awkward nooks and crannies and angles where the slope of the roof connects with a vertical supporting member.
The whole purpose of the radiant barrier is to prevent the heat or cold from penetrating through into the living quarters. This is achieved by the radiant barrier's reflective surface. The barrier reflects the heat or cold away from the living areas, depending upon which season it is. Because of the fact that it works on both ends of the thermometer, a home owner can expect to get their investment back by lowering the monthly utility bill.
As an afterthought, improving the attic insulation can be a positive reselling feature of a home, which will only add value to a prospective home buyer. The investment is a win-win situation. Lower utility bills allows the home owner to enjoy their investment or profit from it by selling the home. Either way, the result will be the same; saving money.
For more information and guidance about radiant barriers, visit http://www.utilityimprovements.com. Utility improvements has a couple of great videos on their site to illustrate how thermal reflection works.
Posted by WebDrafter.com, Inc. with permission.
Article independently authored by Daniel Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Utility Improvements.com.
Thanks for the post. Most of a home's heat is lost or gained through the attic. That is why weatherizaton techniques like you describe are so important. A quick note, generally radiant barriers installed on the attic floor are for cool climate installations whereas installing them on the roof joists are for warm climate applications.
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