Think of your home as one big refrigerator – would you put it in the shade or in the sun? Of course you would put it in the shade. Why? Heat coming directly from the sun is radiant heat and radiant heat causes things to heat up. This means the outside surface temperature of your refrigerator could easily be 130º in the sun. So, the refrigerator “thinks” it’s actually 130º outside even though it is not.
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.
Looking for more videos on this topic? Check out my posts below.
Tags: Attic Insulation, conductive heat, foil installation, hot climates, radiant barrier, radiant heat, Video
We are looking to install a radiant barrier and have been told it’s best to install a solar powered fan as well. Is it necessesary to have both installed? Your blog is very helpful. Thank you.
A radiant barrier will work ANYWHERE. Inside, outside you name it. Radiant barrier AtticFoil is usually installed INSIDE an attic as a retrofit application. Getting a radiant barrier to the outside of the structure is usually only available during new construction or if you are doing some type of “raised” roof that contains an air space. The perfect case would be to build your home like a well insulated, air tight refrigerator to reduce conductive heat and then wrap it with foil (even if it is behind brick, stone, siding, roofing etc.) as the first line of defense against radiant heat.
Very informative info! Thanks for sharing this link.