Adding Radiant Barrier To Attic
For example most homes don t have enough insulation to start with.
Adding radiant barrier to attic. Starting at one end of your attic install our ultima foil breathable radiant barrier over across attic floor joists. When laying the foil insulation it is not. April 19 2019 posted in. In the summer the sun heats up your roof and attic which makes the rest of the home warmer.
This step makes the installation go easier because it. A radiant barrier works best when it is perpendicular to the radiant energy striking it. The first is stapling foil to the bottom of the roof rafters the second is laying it out over the existing attic ceiling insulation. Continue covering the attic floor by overlapping each section of radiant barrier already rolled out by 2 inches.
How radiant barriers help improve your energy efficiency. Depending on where exactly you live you might want to use heat radiant barrier in the attic especially in the summer or around your external house walls to prevent heat being lost during the winter. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics. The purpose of a radiant barrier is to reflect heat.
The answer is that there are other things you can do that would be more effective in terms of energy efficiency. Installing radiant barrier under the roof decking is the preferred method versus on top of the insulation because it gives an air gap for the heat to escape to the ridge vent without creating a potential moisture problem between the radiant barrier and the attic floor. Determine how much you need. Roofs under 8 ft tall from inside the attic sq footage x 1 2 for really.
Find out whether it s worth the money to install a radiant barrier in your attic. How to install radiant barrier on attic rafters in 5 steps step 1. These thin highly reflective layers aren t designed to slow heat transfer they reflect it away before it radiates into your attic and home. Measure and cut the foil before going in the attic.
The latest tests and studies have shown that on average heat radiant barriers help reduce about 20 to 30 of energy lost provided that they re installed properly. For the majority of installations there are basically two different methods used to install radiant barrier foil in an attic. Radiant barrier should always be installed to work with the soffit and ridge. With new types of technology and approaches to keep homes comfortable it s natural to wonder if attic radiant barrier works.
Increasing summer energy consumption and cooling costs. A radiant barrier reduces the radiant heat transfer from the underside of the roof to the other surfaces in the attic. The temperature of the attic space increases and that heat is transferred to the building below. Adding a radiant barrier to your attic will reflect heat and help your air conditioning system run more efficiently.