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.

Utility Bills...

Cost of a Radiant Barrier Can Offset the Expense of High Heating or Cooling Costs

There are several methods for insulating a home. Some are more effective than others. When the building is in the construction phase insulating is fairly straight forward and can appear to happen overnight. When the home has already been completed improving the insulation by retrofitting the home can be quite time consuming and difficult.

With being so labor intensive and possibly opening up walls to insert insulation, cost is a major concern. Setting aside the amount of time and expense of adding traditional insulations, the type of insulation installed is exceptionally important. Traditional types include fiberglass, foam and blown in insulation.

Although the technology is not exactly new, one of the more recent applications in home insulation has been radiant barriers. A radiant barrier is an effective method for improving the energy efficiency and comfort of a home. Essentially a radiant barrier is a foil backed sheeting which can be installed a number of different ways.

The purpose of the foil is to reflect the radiant temperatures. An over simplified way to explain is, much like a aluminum foil wrapped baked potato, heat can either be retained within the living quarters of the home during cold days or reflected away from the home interior on hot days. In either scenario, the interior temperature will be maintained with a minimal amount of heating or cooling from the HVAC system.

The most common place to install a radiant barrier is in the attic. The sheeting can either be installed on top of the ceiling joists or along the bottom edge of the roof rafters. Which placement largely depends on how well vented and circulated the air is in the attic. If installed improperly, like all insulation can, additional problems may crop up such as mold. Additional installation points can be in crawl spaces underneath a home.

Although installing a radiant barrier can be accomplished by a mechanically inclined home owner; it will almost always be back breaking work due to confined spaces and potentially dangerous conditions. The effectiveness of the radiant barrier will be compromised if close detailed attention is not used when overlapping or joining the runs of sheets. As a result, it is not recommended that even those home owners who are handy, attempt to treat this project as a do-it-yourself project. An experienced and qualified installer will be able to determine which method will work best for each situation.

To learn more about radiant barriers visit Utility Improvements or call 1.800.230.2197 today!

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.

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.

Radiant Barriers - More Cost Effective Than Ripping Out Drywall to Retrofit Insulation

There are numerous different types and brands of insulation available on the market today for residential and commercial construction. Some of the more popular choices have been fiberglass, cellulose types, polystyrene (blue board) and spray foam. All of these different types of insulation are assigned an R-value which "grades" each in terms of thermal resistance. One type of insulation, which is graded on a different scale and has been receiving increased attention of the media due to its environmentally green benefits, is radiant barriers.

Most insulation works on the same premise of providing a dense barrier between the interior of the building and the exterior. Different types of insulation are more effective than others. As the denseness of the insulative material increases so does its effectiveness. Whether the building envelope is sealed or not, also will affect how well the building is insulated from the heat or cold.

Fiberglass insulation, although relatively inexpensive and the most prolific in its use, allows copious amounts of air to pass through compared to others. Despite attempts to seal the building envelope, fiberglass will not help to achieve this goal. Even though spray foam is more expensive, it has been one of the most effective. The reason for the increase in expense is due in large part to specialized gear for proper installation and its greater effectiveness at sealing small crevices and air seepage.

All of the above mentioned insulation can be excellent choices depending upon the requirements. For those home owners or business owners with existing and completed structures, it would be prohibitively more expensive to retrofit than to have installed in new construction. There is an excellent and cost effective alternative to ripping out drywall, installing additional insulation and dry-walling back over again.

Radiant barriers are the perfect answer to improving the existing insulation of a home or office. Rather than slowing or blocking radiant heat from penetrating through, radiant barriers will actually reflect up to 97% of the heat. Surprisingly, radiant barriers do not have an R-value, but are rated on emissivity and reflectivity.

Common installation points are either in the attic or a crawl space underneath the structure. Much like the other types of insulation, there are a few different types of radiant barriers available. Depending upon the location of the installation, one may serve better than another. The different types are perforated, solid or double-sided radiant barriers. The installer should know which type will provide the most benefit specific to the application. Many building codes will also dictate when to use a specific type.

Another major concern with insulation is with regards to mold and insect infestation. Eliminating the chances of mold or insects is affected by the manner in which the insulation is installed and the proper ventilation of the building envelope. Improper installation of insulation can actually increase the chances of mold and insect intrusion. The professional installer should have the experience to install the insulation properly and explain to the customer the process and reasons.

To learn more about radiant barriers, insulation, and reducing utility bills please visit http://www.utilityimprovements.com.

Article independently authored by Daniel Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Utility Improvements.