Recently, AtticFoil.com joined www.RatePoint.com to get real unbiased opinions from customers on their real life experience using AtticFoil Radiant Barrier and feedback regarding their order experience, and results they have seen in their homes.
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.
Dear Sir, are there any companies,in my area(Richmond, Va.),that install your products.
Sorry, I wish we had more people recommend.
Ed
I am looking for the type of foil you recommend and an installer in the KC area.
Dan
Dan,
You can purchase AtticFoil Radiant Barrier Here: http://www.atticfoil.com
At this time, I do not have any installers in your area to recommend.
Can plywood flooring be placed over the AtticFoil Radiant Barrier, or will it reduce it’s efficiency? Thanks Robert
Plywood can be placed OVER AtticFoil as long as you maintain an airspace on ONE side of the foil. If you “Sandwich” the foil between the flooring and the attic insulation, you no longer HAVE a radiant barrier, since you don’t have RADIANT heat. The three solids would become “one” with different conductive values. The foil would actually be the MOST conductive and in theory could actually INCREASE heat flow in/out.
Ed
I am investigating the same thing as Robert Knight. I recently purchased a home in the mountains of North Carolina and based on what I read, it would be best to put the foil on the attic floor. However, my concern is stepping through the foil if I have to work in the attic. I was thinking of putting down small sections of plywood to act as stepping spots.I could move some of the blown insulation below the top of the joists and perhaps add spacers on the joist to make an air gap. Good Idea?
Regards Rich Soucy
Rich,
It really depends on how MUCH access you want to the areas. The simplest way would be to put down a “catwalk” of 2″x4″ and then bury under insulation and put a seam right over it. Then, if you need to access it, just pull back the foil and walk down the middle on the 2×4. I also had one customer make a who “system” (very large home) using sets of two 2×6″ on their sides on top of the joists about 12″ a part. He then filled the space between the 2×6′s with insulation and then cut plywood into 1 ft by 8ft strips and put on top.
Ed
How thorough does the foil have to be laid down in order to see an improvement? I can’t easily get into the corners of my attic and was considering stapling to the rafters, then letting the foil hang down say a foot or so out of the corners and just attach to the flooring at that point.
Steve,
Your right on! Radiant barrier has a cumulative effect. You want to get as much coverage as possible, but don’t kill yourself on the difficult last little areas. What you may consider for the perimeters is taking two sheets of AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier and taping them together along the seam using foil air conditioning tape. This will give you an 8 ft wide piece. Then staple along the edge you can reach and use a pole to stick it back into the tight areas as far as possible. If you get the foil between the roof and the insulation it will help.
Wow. One ore question – I saw on your site.a hybrid install method. Is that as effective as the other methods? It certainly looks easiest with my roof.
It really depends. Stapling up is the MOST effective to keep out Summer heat gain, while laying over the insulation is the MOST effective at keeping Winter HEAT IN. The hybrid method works great and is especially useful for low-pitch roofs. Or as your earlier post mentioned, stapling up in the middle and letting it lay over the insulation to the sides. I always say do what is easiest.
My home, in Williamsburg, Va.,is five years old. It uses air conditioning and/or heating basically 12 months of the year. The heating/cooling unit is in the attic. The square footage of the home(one-level but with a room over the garage)is about 2500 and the living room area has a ‘flat’ pan-style cathedral ceiling. My ‘installer’ said he would blow in insulation to bring me up to R38, from R30, and install Ultramax Super R attic insulation. The plan sounded ‘great’ until he quoted me his ‘most economical’ price for the job, which guarantees a 25% energy savings, at almost….$6,000!!!! Am I out-of-touch with prices or do you too think this is a TAD hefty a price?
I am a retired widow on a fixed income and have to be very ‘careful’ with my ‘investments’. With the housing market so dreadful I might have to stay in this BIG house a few more years, so do you think this would be a good investment for me?
Ed,
I live in the Houston area and have been investigating radiant barriers to install. I would like to know if I installed the radiant barrier to my rafters along with laying radiant barrier on top of my insulation if this would have a cumulative beneficial result or would I just be wasting my time. What are your thoughts on this?
David
David,
I’ve had many customers install doing both methods with fantastic results. Installing over the attic insulation (in Houston) will have the biggest benefit in the Winter to help keep heat in. It will provide some additional benefit in the Summer. From a DIY perspective, I think the additional cost of material and labor (cheap for DIY) is usually worth it.
Your advise please: I bought a 1961 built 1500sqft so FL beach house. There is no insulation in attac or stucco walls. Do I need both radiant barrier and blown in insulation in attic? Any other advise. Thanks.
Bob,
Yes, you will want both radiant barrier and “regular” insulation. I’d install the AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier first, then add and R-30 value of insulation or better in the attic. The walls can be tricky. There are several “Drill & Fill” methods to get insulation inside the walls. I’d start with the attic, then (if needed) do the walls.
Hey Ed, I don’t have access to the attic and am planning on just stapling the foil on top of my roof on the outside. WIll the foil work as well on top of the roof and what other things should I look out for? Thanks,
-Blake
That is not a typical use of the AtticFoil® so you might be better off using a product specifically created for the outside elements. We have had some customers use the product in this way, and from our experience it works best if you create a system that will keep the foil a couple of inches ABOVE the roof; you want the foil up and away from water when it rains (over time this will cause the foil to get dirty and lose some of it’s effectiveness). If you want more information about this type of application, contact us at support@atticfoil.com.
Works great. I like it very well.
Ed, My name is Les Miller. I have been a energy efficient builder for 25 years. So much has changed since I built my first two homes. I am going back to the owners to update their home to today’s higher standards. Radiant barrier is probably the quickest payback. I am also doing low-e window films, reworking door sweeps and seals and where justified new higher SEER A/C units. Do you sell Attic/Foil radiant barrier? If so I would like a small sample to compare to foil that is available locally in Fort Worth, Texas. Thanks , Les Miller 817/475-6839, or Les@LesMillerHomes.com
Les,
Contact us at 1-800-595-8772 to request a sample.
How much would you recommend getting this in a home? I don’t understand fully what it is for. Email me please.
Jessica,
Take a look at the website, http://www.AtticFoil.com to find out more about How a Radiant Barrier Works and How to Install Radiant Barrier in an Attic. If you have any questions, call us at 1-800-595-8772 and press “2″ for technical support; our phone lines are open M-F from 9am to 5pm CST.