|
|
|
Sign Up To Receive A $25 Discount Coupon |
The Radiant Barrier that is installed by Value Star Insulation is a high quality, commercial grade sheet of polyolefin that is coated on both sides with 99.9% pure aluminum that reflects 97% of radiant heat. 
The key to understanding how Radiant Barrier works is to understand that aluminum has a unique characteristic of reflecting infrared light. Infrared light from the sun is what heats the Earth and produces hot air.
Infrared = radiant heat. When infrared is reflected away from an object, that object will be cooler because of the reduction of radiant energy/heat on it. So if we can reflect that radiant energy away from our homes by installing a thin sheet of aluminum overhead, then we can seriously reduce the heat that is normally produced in our homes by the pounding of radiant heat from the sun.
Putting Radiant Barrier in your attic is essentially like moving your home under the shade of a large dense shade tree!
So do I need insulation if I have Radiant Barrier installed? Yes you do. Radiant Barrier reflects the infrared light that produces hot air, but it has no effect on the hot air itself. Insulation keeps hot air where its supposed to be... inside during the winter and outside during the summer. While a good thick bed of insulation will provide you with an increased level of comfort and significant energy savings, nothing is more efficient at reducing the heat load in a home as a properly installed solid aluminum Radiant Barrier.
There are 2 types of Radiant Barriers - reflective paint and solid reflective aluminum sheets. Only the solid type is installed by Value Star Insulation for a very good reason. 
The Dept of Energy's very own definition of Radiant Barrier is "a thin, reflective foil sheet that exhibits low radiant energy transmission." The Department of Energy goes on to say that "All radiant barriers must have a low emissivity (0.1 or less) and high reflectivity (0.9 or more)." The highest quality reflective paint has an emissivity of .25 and a reflectivity of .75. Emissivity is the amount of radiant heat that emits through the material.
Reflectivity is just the opposite... the amount of radiant heat that is reflected away by the material. The very best reflective paint emits 25% of radiant heat and reflects only 75%. Some paints emit as much as 90% and reflect as little as 10% of radiant heat. The only Radiant Barrier material that Value Star Insulation installs is the solid reflective foil sheet that emits only 3% of radiant heat and reflects 97%.
The only way to accurately quote the cost of your Radiant Barrier installation is to measure your attic, since pricing is based on the square footage of material used. There is no charge for us to measure your attic for a Radiant Barrier quote.
Radiant Barrier |