Foil Type Radiant Barriers
What are they?
Our foil radiant barrier is 99.5% pure aluminum reinforced with a fiber mesh in the middle. It has aluminum on both sides and is perforated. The e-value of our product is .03 as tested by the United States Testing Company. It is non-toxic, not harmful in any way, and carries a class A/class 1 fire rating.
How do they work?Much like spray-on radiant barriers, it depends where they are placed. Most of the time it will work by not allowing the heat of the roof to radiate into the attic and then into the home. They work on the exact same concept as the spray on types which is e-value or emissivity. In some applications, the idea is to reflect the heat that is radiating toward it. A good example of this is in the winter months when your home is warmer than your roof. Your attic insulation is then radiating heat toward the radiant barrier and it will reflect the heat back down.
Location, Location, Location...Typically, the foil comes in large rolls and is cut on site to fit your home. They are usually installed in several different places.
Mostly, a foil type radiant barrier is installed on the underside of the roof. This is accomplished by stapling the foil to the edge of the rafters which creates a small pocket of air between the roof decking and the foil. This allows the hotter air to be directed to the peak and out the ventilation before it fills the rest of the attic. This also is the best location in most situations because it stops the radiant heat transfer at the roof, which creates a much cooler attic. This means that your air conditioning units aren't sitting in a 170 degree attic while trying to cool your home. This also will ease the heat load on your air ducts and keep them as efficient as possible.
Where appropriate, we also install our foil on "exposed walls". These are walls in which you can see the insulation in them from the attic, usually only in 1 & 1/2 story or 2 story homes. The insulation in this particular situation is usually an R19 and is difficult to improve on. By wrapping the wall in our foil product, we can greatly reduce the heat transfer rate as well as secure the insulation. It is very common for insulation to just be "stuck" into the cavities in the wall instead of stapled or secured like it should be. Even when stapled, the insulation tends to begin to fall down within 5 to 10 years or so and leaves areas on your wall that are completely exposed to the full heat load of the attic.
In some occasions, it is appropriate to install the foil as a "blanket" on top of your existing mass insulation. The major downfall of the location is that dust will eventually render the foil much less effective. Because radiant barriers work based on the surface maintaining a low e-value, dust will settle on the surface and raise the e-value to where it is no longer as effective as it should be. Studies by Texas A&M University suggest that it would take about 8 to 10 years for the foil to lose its rating as a radiant barrier, and about 15 years before it has degraded so much that it is basically not working any longer.
There is a lot of controversy around this type of attic installation. We have done exhaustive research into this matter and found that for customers who are looking for a quick return on investment, and will not be living in the house more then 15 years, it could be worth the costs. Many other companies and manufacturers are lying about the long term effects of putting foil on the floor. Keep in mind that the surface MUST be clean for a radiant barrier to do its job, period. Having multiple layers or double sided foil doesn't change the facts. It's simple physics. If the exposed surface of the radiant barrier is not going to remain clean, it is not going to continue to work at its rated e-value. If you would like to discuss this particular method further or think your home might be a good candidate, please call one of our energy experts to discuss some of the more detailed issues at 972.792.8842.
Other installation locations include the backside of your garage door, wrapping your water heater, on the inside of metal buildings, storage units, backyard sheds, carports, and so on. We have even had customers use the foil for insulating their dog houses. Almost anywhere where heat transfer happens, we can put a radiant barrier.
Yes, you can still use your cell phones!Because we are only adding foil to your attic, your cell phones, wireless internet, and all other signals will still work fine. On occasion, customers have reported that one or two channels were lost of had static on their analog TV sets. This is due to the foil or spray disrupting the analog signal coming through the roof. This only happens if your antenna is in your attic and still being used. We have found that the vast majority of our customers are not using any antennas in their attic to pick up station floating through the air.
Want to know more?Please contact us with any questions you may have at 972.792.8842. Please ask to speak with one of our energy experts and schedule your FREE in-home consultation today.
"My home is only about 3 years old now and I thought it was very efficient. I purchased the radiant barrier with the hope that it would make my 2nd story cooler and my family would actually be able use the upstairs in the evenings. Not only is my 2nd story almost the same temperature as my first floor, but my utility bills dropped by about 15%! Your technicians were very courteous and took great care with my house. I am very pleased with your company. "
Mike F.
Flower Mound
PROUDLY INSTALLING
