Radiant Barriers vs standard insulation?
Everyone knows that their home needs to be insulated well to keep the warm air in in the wintertime and out in the summertime. But very few people realize that there are very real differences between insulating products that are used in insulating homes. Most building insulation products are made from fiberglass, wool, Styrofoam and similar materials. They attempt to slow down heat convective and conductive heat exchanges. There are also other types of insulation available. A radiant energy barrier is a completely different approach to insulating a building.
Conductive heat exchange is the term used to describe energy transfers that depend on contact. Convection applies to heat exchange in fluids, such as the air. Radiant energy exchanges involve invisible forms of radiation. The heat from the sun, for example, does not require contact or air to travel through space to warm us; it is a radiant form of energy exchange. Most of the heat transfer in a building, either heat lost during the winter or gained in the summer, is through this type of transfer. Attic radiant barriers are reflective materials that blocks this exchange. They do not slow heat transfers; they stop them.
Radiant Energy Barrier Options That Work
RadiantGUARD offers several grades of insulation. Some are perforated to allow water vapor to pass through them. Others have bubble material used in conjunction with the raidant barrier for thermal resistance. These types of radiant barriers are most commonly used in homes. One of the tremendous advantages of these barriers is that they can be easily installed over any existing insulation on the floor of an attic. This allows you to take advantage of the conductive and convective insulating strategies of the existing product well as the superior attributes of the RadiantGUARD solution. It also greatly reduces installation time and expense because the removal of existing insulation is not required.
When you choose RadiantGUARD radiant energy barrier products, you are choosing insulators that will reflect 95-97% of the radiant heat affecting your home. This has been shown to reduce energy bills by up to 17%. RadiantGUARD exceeds the Department of Energy's standards. We offer a full range of barrier options that are suitable for new construction and upgrading existing buildings.