In the first part of the second half of the radio program, Ed covers using radiant barrier in a metal shed/barn (that is not being conditioned), painting a radiant barrier and using a radiant barrier with your existing insulation.

Ed finishes up his interview by explaining surface temperatures, roof temperatures and the importance of attic ventilation to get the best results and the most comfortable living space.  He also explains why predicting savings is tricky since homes have different variables, and why partial coverage works with radiant barrier.

How does AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier compare to a product called ___(Insert product name here)_____?

It doesn’t matter what radiant barrier product you are talking about: Green Energy Barrier, EShield, Reflectix, etc. As the manufacturer and direct distributor of AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier, we guarantee our product is as good, or probably BETTER than any other product you will find. In fact, the product you are comparing might actually be AtticFoil® with a new label. How do you KNOW we are the manufacturer? Ask ANY of these companies if they produce a 60″ wide perforated foil – AtticFoil.com is the ONLY one.

AtticFoil® is the leading manufacturer of a national brand of radiant barrier foil and we have hundreds of customer reviews to prove it.  Here are just a few words our customers have said about AtticFoil® radiant barrier:

Here are three recent reviews from happy customers:

“I originally went to Lowes to pick up some radiant barrier material (Reflectix) to get started before my AtticFoil® order arrived…after opening the box and trying to put a single piece up, decided it was absolute *#@#&!!; it tore easily, was extremely thin, and on a scale of 1-10, would give it a 0. I returned it half an hour after purchasing it and decided I would wait for my AtticFoil® order… I rarely write reviews on products, but felt compelled to put one up since the product [AtticFoil®] is of incredible quality and value…way to go guys…I will definitely be purchasing more in the future and have already recommended it to others interested in installing a radiant barrier.”

“I found the AtticFoil® incredibly strong and durable. I could not be happier with a product.”

“The radiant barrier by AtticFoil.com is very well made and very sturdy. It is better than several others I examined.”

There are hundreds more, but don’t just take their word for it – order a FREE RADIANT BARRIER SAMPLE of AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil Insulation and see for yourself why we are the number one manufacturer of radiant barrier foil.  To get your free sample, simply fill out the form on this page: http://www.atticfoil.com/contact.htm Samples are mailed daily, Monday through Friday.

Once your sample arrives – test it out! Feel the difference, this is a heavyweight product that won’t tear, but it’s very easy to handle and cut.  We’re confident you’ll be just as happy, if not happier, with the product we manufacture.  For more information, please visit AtticFoil.com, your online source for radiant barrier foil.

Lane Street Inn saves with Radiant Barrier

Older homes can often offer challenges when trying to effectively cool the upper floors during the high heat of summer.  Eben Bryant, owner of Lane Street Inn, a small bed and breakfast in Shelbyville, TN, says he began looking into Radiant Barrier when his wife and their cleaning staff began complaining about the hot rooms upstairs this past summer.  You can read more about Eben’s story here:

(Review of AtticFoil.com from Eben Bryant)

The AtticFoil product I purchased and installed has proven beneficial. When researching radiant barrier, I came across AtticFoil.com and found all I needed to make an informed decision. Other user’s comments and photos encouraged me to perform the installation myself. Over two nights, my nephew and I installed over 4,000 square feet of AtticFoil in the attic of my 100 year old bed and breakfast.

I researched a number of radiant barrier dealers online and locally. I found a dearth of dealers in my area of Tennessee and only a handful of dealers online. Researching the prices, I found AtticFoil to be the most competitively priced on a per square foot basis. I also surmised that the AtticFoil product would be more durable than some of their competitor’s thinner products. I liked that the material is heavy and strong. You cannot tear it with your hands. Pulling it out along my rough attic floor was not a problem. You don’t have to handle this stuff carefully like you might with some thinner products.

Overview of attic space at Lane Street Inn

I am a do-it-yourself type of guy and luckily my nephew that helped is young and strong. While there were some scuffed knees and bumped heads, the install went relatively easy. In old houses you have to find ways to improvise. To get around the fact that my attic has high ceilings and very little floored area, we built temporary scaffolds out of scrap 2x4s, unscrewing them and moving them as we went along. To get over the attic heat, we pulled up a couple of HVAC registers and had them blowing into the attic. (Learn more about this trick here) We also worked from about 9:00 pm to 4:00 am during the coolest part of the night.

RESULTS – Before we installed AtticFoil, the temperature in our attic would typically be 20 to 30 degrees higher than the outside air. After the install, the temperature now does not really go more than 10 degrees higher than the outside air. Before the install, the second-floor air conditioning would run constantly. The ducts are in the attic. Temperatures would not fall down to even 74 degrees until nearly 1:00 am. Now we can get all of the guest bedrooms upstairs to comfortable temperatures even before the sun goes down. And the A/C is not running continuously.

Corner view of Attic at Lane Street Inn

My wife and her cleaning staff had complained of the uncomfortable temperatures on the second floor all summer. Two days after we installed the barrier and the attic had a chance to cool off, the second floor was noticeably cooler. I was really glad when my wife said, “I think that radiant barrier you installed in the attic has helped tremendously.” Other than what I had read online about radiant barrier, I wasn’t too sure it would work. Well, it did and I am very glad.

Overall, the cost of my rather large installation, including paying my nephew and buying some staplers, was about $1,000. I expect with the savings on my utility bills that I should recoup this cost within one year.

Eben Bryant

(Note from Ed) after reading Eben’s note and checking out his pictures of his installation, I sent him the following reply from which some of you may benefit:

A sturdy sheet of AtticFoil Radiant Barrier

Eben, I want to thank you for writing the kind review and sending me these pictures.

From looking at your pictures, I wanted to offer offer some advice.

Radiant barrier is your first line of defense against radiant heat and “regular” insulation is your second line of defense against conductive heat.

Looking at your pictures, it looks like you only have a few inches of insulation in your attic.

I would look to getting this up to 12-15″ for maximum year round protection against heat loss in Winter  and heat gain in Summer.

I would also get a can of foam and foam around all the ceiling air conditioner registers to the sheetrock.  This will reduce air infiltration.

We asked our customers to spend a couple of minutes to help us promote AtticFoil.com to other potential customers. The response was pretty amazing. Over 100 customers replied and the phrase “Amazing” seems to be a common comment when describing the results.

Update: We now have over 400 unique reviews from our customers.  Thanks for the feedback. Read more here www.ReviewAtticFoil.com. (12/15/2010)

Below is a comment form a customer in Hawaii.

Comment: Location: Kapolei, Hawaii (Oahu). Average temps 84 deg F. 50% humidity. Direct sun year round.

Shipping: Foil shipped by UPS as promised and on time. Expensive rates to Hawaii but well worth it.

My Attic: 30 x 70 footprint with a 5/12 pitch. Asphalt shingles. Cathedral ceiling with limited vertical crawl on the outboard slope. R-19 BATT insulation on gypsum fire rated 5/8″ drywall. I have a 5 ton central A/C system. All handler and ducting is in the attic. Ducting is combination of rigid/flex with foil barrier rated at R-6. There are about 300 2″ soffit holes around the house and a electric forced air 1600 cu ft/min gable exhaust fan set for 105 deg F. Average attic temp in the afternoon is 120+ deg F. Inside roof temp can get 130+ deg F. Gable fan runs about 4 hours in the afternoon.

My House: 1600 Sq ft inside insulated R-19 ceiling and R-13 walls. 12 foot cathedral ceiling. Single story. My A/C prior to installation ran about 4-5 hours per day. I keep the temp at 80 deg F. With no A/C the house internal temp will rise to 90+ deg F.

Installation: I did it myself over a course of about three weeks. I could only work in my attic during the early morning (about 4 hours). I installed 2500 sq ft foil in sheets of 8 – 12 feet lengths. An electric staple gun was a must. I used a Craftsman easy staple with 3/8″ staples. Used about 1600 staples. I did a hybrid install because of the cathedral ceiling.
I stapled high and laid on top of BATTS at the low points. Installation was challenging at times but not unmanageable by myself. Ed’s online Blog and instructional videos concise and clear.

The results: AMAZING!! After installation my attic space average afternoon temp is now less then 105 deg F. My gable fan has not run once since the complete install. My A/C runs about an hour per day and the inside temp will not rise above 84 deg F. I have front guest bedroom that receives the direct afternoon sun and was unbearable to be in. It now stays as cool as the rest of the house. My wife and I are amazed that this $500 investment has seen this kind of result.

I have been investigating ways to cool down the house for years but decided to get serious before the tax credit expired. Glad I did. You wont go wrong dealing with Ed Fritz and his company.

Your roof acts the same way.  It can easily reach 150º or hotter on a sunny day.  This heat will then be re-radiated through the attic and will be absorbed by your attic insulation causing high energy bills and comfort issues.

This video illustrates how a radiant barrier works – plain and simple.  Rather than absorbing the radiant heat from the roof, let’s bounce it back and keep the attic insulation cooler. If you keep the insulation cooler, then less heat enters the home and you save money and stay more comfortable.

Think of it this way:  Radiant barrier is your 1st line of defense against radiant heat and your attic insulation is your 2nd line of defense against conductive heat.  They will actually work TOGETHER for maximum efficiency and comfort.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for more videos on this topic? Check out my posts below.

Adding more insulation space between the roof deck and the sheetrock can be expensive, labor intensive and will reduce the ceiling height in the new room.

One option is to ventilate the roof deck and install a radiant barrier BEFORE you install insulation and sheetrock. This method helps keep the heat absorbed by the roof AWAY from the insulation by creating a THERMAL BREAK to reduce heat flow by conduction. This method also forces the energy absorbed by the roof to be converted into radiant energy. Radiant energy then can easily be reflected away with a radiant barrier.

Think of this method as a ONE-TWO Punch against heat gain. The radiant barrier is the 1st line of defense against radiant heat gain and regular type “R-Value” insulation is the 2nd layer of defense. This video shows a fast and effective way to install a radiant barrier into your roof assembly to maximize comfort and efficiency for your new attic room.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for more videos on this topic? Check out my posts below.

Window with solar screen installed

One of the most frustrating problems is having comfort issues with a particular room in your home.  These are rooms that you can NEVER get quite cool enough no matter how hard you try.  The usual suspects are: Rooms over garages, bonus rooms, media rooms, master bedrooms that “stick out” from the house, and home offices.  In this article, I offer tips to help fix these problem rooms.

In order to fix the problem, you must first ask, “What exactly IS the problem”?

The easiest way to view any room is simply to look at it as a big box.  Heat enters the box and the air conditioner pulls the heat out.  The problem occurs when you combine several rooms (boxes) on ONE air conditioning system.  The airflow to each room will dictate how fast each room cools off.  The problem is that the sun, exposure, windows and internal heat loads (lights, people, computers, etc.) are DIFFERENT for each room and can CHANGE throughout the day. The “problem” rooms usually gain heat faster than the other rooms on the same air conditioning system.

Properly installed radiant barrier foil

There are two methods to TRY to fix this:  1) Keep the heat from entering in the first place or 2) Pull MORE heat out.

1) Keep the heat out – We want to STOP heat from entering so we don’t have to deal with it in the first place.  Start with the windows. If a window catches direct sun you need to shade the window.  Solar screens, window film, awnings or natural shade (trees) will all help – take your pick.  Then focus on the thermal envelope.  Walls should be well insulated and have some form of sheathing (usually ¾” foam board) on the ATTIC side of any walls to fully encapsulate the studs and the batts of insulation between them.  We call walls that face an attic “hot walls” for a reason.

Radiant barrier foil should be applied above and around any problem rooms. Ceilings should be sealed airtight and have plenty of insulation and ductwork should be checked for leaks or constrictions.

Open chaseway showing missing "blocking"

Finally, if the room is on the second floor, look for what is called an “open chaseway.”  This is the area between floors that usually has electrical, plumbing or ducts running through them.  Older homes often are missing “blocking” and allow hot or cold attic air to slide BETWEEN the floors and cook or chill the room from the bottom.  Open chaseways needs to be sealed up.

2) Pull MORE heat out – If you have done everything to keep the heat out and you still can’t stay comfortable, then the only other option is to pull more heat out. This usually requires the expertise of a good air conditioning contractor. You could need larger ducts, more ducts, additional return vents or a combination of these.

Unfortunately, on many “problem” rooms these measures have limited success. In fact, you can do EVERYTHING and STILL have comfort issues in some rooms.  What do you do?

Look for part 2 of this article: When all else fails – how to keep ANY room comfortable.

AtticFoil® is a pure RADIANT BARRIER ONLY. Other types of products take a sheet of aluminum foil (a radiant barrier) and attach it to a thin layer of insulation usually about ¼” thick.  This insulation is typically fiberglass, foam or plastic bubble wrap material.  The CLAIM is that when you COMBINE a radiant barrier with an insulating product (listed above) that has R-Value, the product MUST be better.

They come up with fancy names like “Attic Energy Barrier” or “Heat Shield” or “Attic Armor” and spend a lot of money on advertising, slick brochures and big sales commissions when in reality all these products are basically the same thing.  A piece of aluminum foil attached to a thin sheet of fiberglass insulation, bubble wrap or foam.

Typically eshield™ and other similar products sell for 5-30 times the cost of AtticFoil®.

Are they really better and are they worth it?

First, let me say all these products are NOT BAD products.  They are all GOOD products that are often being used for the WRONG purpose. These products work great in metal buildings and some commercial applications but have now found their way into residential attics.

In a residential attic application, they DO work. Why? Virtually ALL of the heat entering from a roof into an attic is RADIANT HEAT. So, here is the secret:  It’s the FOIL (radiant barrier) doing all the work. The fiberglass, foam or bubbles are just along for the ride and offer virtually no additional benefit in reducing heat flow into a home.  This is why AtticFoil® is the ONLY product needed for attic applications and for a fraction of the cost compared to other products.

I believe in giving good information and getting the best “Bang For The Buck” solutions to help consumers make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient.

Here is the bottom line. You DON’T NEED R-VALUE (insulation) ON YOUR RAFERS IN A VENTILATED RESIDENTIAL ATTIC. You need R-Value on your attic floor and you need a radiant barrier either stapled to the bottom of your rafters or laid out over the attic insulation.

Let’s take a look at the ACTUAL R-Value of these other products mentioned above.  Most are about a ¼” thick or less.  Standard foam board by Dow Chemical or Owens Corning has a known R-value of about 3.5 per inch.  An R-13 batt of fiberglass insulation is 3.5” thick. So, common sense tells you that the ACTUAL R-value of eShield and similar products about ¼” thick can be NO MORE THAN AN R-VALUE OF 1.

When you read about claims that these products have R-10 – R-20 values be sure to look at the fine print.  These R-values are ONLY achieved in tightly sealed assembles like a wall and often require over 8” of “Dead” air space.

Since there is typically NO “Dead Air” in a ventilated attic, these products CANNOT achieve a higher R-value than the actual R-value of the ¼” layer of insulation product attached to the foil.

Often, products like eShield are stapled to the bottom of the rafters.  This method works fine to stop the radiant heat, but why waste your money for a small amount of R-value (typically R-1) when you NEED the R-value on the ceiling and not your roofline.  Plus, you can buy By R-19 of blown-in insulation material for about .25/per square ft.

Here is what I recommend.

AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil ALONE will accomplish the same benefit as ALL THESE PRODUCTS to stop radiant heat for less cost. Then, spend the money you save on these other products and put in additional attic insulation, if needed. You can easily install R-19 or about 6” or more of additional attic insulation and the total cost will be the SAME OR LESS and you will end up with a BETTER OVERALL REDUCTION IN HEAT GAIN/LOSS.

Remember, traditional attic insulation has R-value. This works to slow conductive heat.  Radiant barriers reflect Radiant Heat.  BOTH types of heat are trying to enter your home on a hot, summer day. The sun heats up the roof and then heat is transferred by radiant heat until it hits the attic insulation.  Then, heat switches form to conductive heat to move through the attic insulation and into your home.  This is why you need BOTH Types. Traditional attic insulation and radiant barrier work together and each do their part.

Radiant barrier is your first line of defense and attic insulation is the second line of defense against heat gain.

Keep things simple, spend your money wisely and be hesitant when you hear outrageous claims for energy savings products. Follow this advise, and you are on your way to making your home more comfortable and energy efficient.

I've written several other posts on this that you might be interested in. Check these posts below:

If you recall there was much excitement when the energy tax credits were extended or revised for 2009-2010.  The 10% tax credit was raised to 30% and the maximum of all tax credits for the period between 2009-2010 was raised from $500 to $1500.

Then, in the Spring of 2009 it was determined that the definition of insulation was expanded to reference the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).  Since radiant barrier is not specifically mentioned in the building code, it has been unclear whether or not they qualify.

In December 2009, there was a meeting between the representatives of the reflective insulation industry and the IRS.  In this meeting, representatives presented the case for how radiant barriers should be included to be eligible for the tax credit.

Radiant Barrier Tax Credit Information

Based on this information, the IRS will allow the tax credit to be taken for products put into service between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2010

It should be noted now that the IRS has NOT made a final ruling on this subject and that this information is NOT binding until a final ruling is made.

The manufacturer’s claim for the tax credit is valid until (and if) the IRS denies the claim.  If the claim is denied, it will NOT be retroactive meaning that you will not be able to claim the tax credit for purchases after the date of the ruling.

Here is my opinion on this.  The IRS probably never intended for radiant barriers NOT to be included.  It’s just how the law was written that because radiant barriers are not specifically mentioned, the fell into a grey area.  Radiant barriers DO help control heat loss/gain and this is really the criteria used to determine if a product contributes to “Energy Efficiency”.  The whole purpose of giving a tax credit is to give incentives to taxpayers to make their homes more energy efficient. Radiant barriers can be an excellent product to move towards these improvements.

For now, I’m comfortable to issue a Manufacturer’s Certification Certificate based on this new information. Please subscribe to this blog for updated information as it becomes available.

I've written several other posts on this that you might be interested in. Check these posts below:

In an attic application, you should ALWAYS use a perforated product. Period.

Perforated Radiant Barrier Foil

Why? Solid products like bubble foil insulation are called “Vapor Barriers”.  A vapor barrier basically stops moisture from moving from point A to point B.  Or, another way to view this is that a vapor barrier will “TRAP” moisture.  I’m not going to get into the technical definition of what defines a vapor barrier (perm rating, etc), but here is an illustration of what IS and IS NOT a vapor barrier.

If you take a wet block of wood and put it inside a bag or an envelope made of perforated radiant barrier attic foil the wood block would eventually dry out.  Therefore, perforated radiant barrier is NOT a vapor barrier.  Moisture ALWAYS goes from wet to dry.  If you did the same test with the wood block inside a plastic bag the wood would still be wet months from now.  If moisture in its vapor form cannot pass through or object won’t “dry” then the product IS a vapor barrier.

Why is this important?

Virtually all (over 70%) of home issues are due to mold, mildew, rot, decay, etc. And moisture is the common theme here.  DRY products don’t grow mold, rot or decay. The bottom line is that moisture in wall and ceiling assemblies is not a good thing.  You want DRY walls and ceilings.

In cooler weather, the moisture INSIDE the home is greater than OUTSIDE.  Think cold and dry.  This is why our lips get chapped in the Winter and not in the Summer.  Since moisture will naturally move from wet (inside) to dry (outside) it will pass through sheetrock, insulation and then into a typical attic.  The LAST thing we want to do is TRAP moisture here.  Moisture, attic insulation and wood do not go well together.  A perforated radiant barrier will allow moisture to pass on through into the attic.  We want our attics to be cool and DRY.

Using a perforated radiant barrier will not change the effectiveness of the reflectivity.  Attic Foil has tiny pinholes about every ½ inch that allow for water in its vapor form to pass through (see picture).  These holes make up a TINY percentage of the surface area and will not change the effectiveness of the radiant barrier.

Solid products like bubble foil insulation are usually not perforated and are a recipe for disaster when installed inside an attic.  Solid (non-perforated) bubble foil is a great product when used correctly in applications like metal buildings.  The problem is that solid bubble foil products are often MISUSED in residential attics. This is especially true if the bubble type reflective foil products are laid directly over the attic insulation.  Moisture will pass through the sheetrock and will get trapped in the insulation below the bubble foil insulation.  This moisture will accumulate until it either condensates (turns to water) or freezes (turns to ice).

This is why it is critical to use a perforated tarp-like radiant barrier product. It will give you all the benefits of reflective insulation without the potential for moisture to get trapped.

I've written several other posts on this that you might be interested in. Check these posts below: