Radiant barriers come in various types including reflective foil, reflective metal roof shingles, reflective laminated roof sheathing, and even as reflective chips. Some radiant barriers are fiber-reinforced to increase the durability and facilitate comfortable handling.

Radiant barrier foil, simply stated, is a fragile aluminum film and its purpose is to reflect heat gain. People fasten radiant barrier foil to the underside of roofs or place them in attic spaces, to prevent the heat absorbed by hot roofs traveling to the interiors.

Radiant barrier foil is predominantly used in cathedral ceilings where there the attic space is narrow. Properly positioned radiant barrier foil reportedly blocks as much as 95 percent of the heat emanating from the roof penetrating into the house.

There are many methods one can think of to economize home cooling costs – like awnings, curtains and reflective window film etc – that will reduce direct heat gain and obstruct the solar heat from getting into the house. The term radiant heat refers to the transfer of heat from a heated object to a cooler object.

Roofs are traditionally exposed to the sun and are thus capable of transferring large quantum of radiant heat into the inside of a home. Attic insulation is said to considerably bar much of the transfer of this heat. But radiant barrier foil is a lot more effective as it blocks the heat from even reaching the insulation.

Radiant heat is a heat form that travels across either in an air gap or a vacuum. The radiant barrier foil reflects heat that is traveling across an air gap. Radiant barrier foil is made of aluminum primarily because of aluminum’s unique heat-transfer characteristics.

Aluminum foil has the innate tendency to reflect heat and transfer it without absorption. Radiant barrier foil is capable of 97 percent reflectivity. People opt for radiant barrier foil as they reduce room temperatures leading to lowering of air-conditioning costs – to the extent of 10 percent.

You can install radiant barrier foil either during the construction stage or even in existing homes long after the construction is over. The installation process is rather simple.

The radiant barrier foil is stapled to the underside of the roof panels with the reflective side facing the interior of the house. The radiant barrier should countenance airspace. If it is in contact with the ceiling, it will obviously act as a heat conductor and defeat the purpose.

You should never sandwich the foil between two products as that will prove counter-productive. In fact, it will actually increase the heat flow through the assembly by conduction. An air gap is critically required when you install radiant barrier.

There are different types of radiant barrier foils available in the market. They are bonded to paper, with the foil on one side and paper on the other. They also come as a double-sided, reinforced foil.

Some insulation manufacturers also offer radiant barriers with such foil already pre-attached. There are many types of radiant barrier foils and you should select the radiant barrier type best suited to your attic and roof conditions.

Affordable Insulators are a frontline company that provides residential and commercial Insulation needs in Houston and Austin, TX since their inception in 2002. You may visit http://www.aaffordableinsulators.com/ for fuller details

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