s concern for sky-rocketing utility prices grow, individuals are looking for new and innovative ways to control the high cost of utility bills as well as protect and preserve their most valuable investment, their home! Radiant Barrier is gaining large recognition for it's proven ability to save homeowners up to 17% on utility cost, depending on location and existing conditions. Research has shown that by applying radiant barrier to your attic can save you hundreds of dollars each year on your heating and cooling, as well as reducing wear and tear on your heating and cooling systems!  See government fact sheet on the amazing results of this product.

What is Radiant Barrier and how does it work?

Radiant barriers or reflective barriers are aluminum foil reflective materials installed in residential or commercial attics to reflect heat, reducing the temperature to ducts and insulation located below the radiant barrier.

Radiant barrier works by reducing heat transfer by thermal radiation. All materials give off, or emit, energy by thermal radiation as a result of their temperature. The amount of energy emitted depends on the surface temperature and a property called the emissivity (also called the "emittance"). The emissivity is a number between zero (0) and one (1). The higher the emissivity, the greater the emitted radiation.

A closely related material property is the reflectivity (also called the "reflectance"). This is a measure of how much radiant heat is reflected by a material. The reflectivity is also a number between 0 and 1 (or a percentage between 0 and 100%). For a material that is opaque (that is, it does not allow radiation to pass directly through it), when the emissivity and reflectivity are added together, the sum is one (1). Hence, a material with a high reflectivity has a low emissivity, and vice versa. Radiant barrier materials must have high reflectivity (usually 0.9, or 90%, or more) and therefore low emissivity (usually 0.1 or less), and must face an open air space to perform properly.

On a sunny summer day, solar energy is absorbed by a roof, heating the roof sheathing and causing the underside of the sheathing and the roof framing to radiate heat downward toward the attic floor. When a radiant barrier is placed directly on top of existing attic insulation, with the reflective side up, much of the heat radiated from the hot roof is reflected back toward the roof. This makes the top surface of the insulation cooler than it would have been without a radiant barrier and thus reduces the amount of heat that moves through the insulation into the rooms below the ceiling.

The main problem with placing the radiant barrier on top of the insulation is that dust will eventually reduce the benefit. It is better to staple the foil to the rafters or use radiant barrier paint. Even if you can not cover the entire underside of the roof, where ever the paint or foil is used, it will reduce the heat gain to the attic.

Polar-Ply Radiant Barriers were designed specifically to combat the increasing high costs of energy. It costs far more to cool a home one-degree in the summer than to heat it one degree in the winter. Home-buyers know that these costs will rise and are demanding more energy-efficient homes.

Benefits:

• Increases the comfort level and energy efficiency of the home
• Stops 97% of summer radiant heat, reducing attic temperatures up to 50 degrees
• Will reduce cooling costs as much as 17% each year for the life of the home
• Can extend the life of the A/C unit by reducing overall run time
• Improves duct and insulation performance
• Scientifically tested and proven; technology used by NASA for over 20 years
• Increases the value of your home
• NO MAINTENANCE REQUIRED

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to promote the use of energy-efficient equipment by awarding the ENERGY STAR label to products that save energy."