What Is Radiant Barrier? Radiant Barrier Insulation
Radiant barrier is a 2 ply aluminum foil type material that has a polyethylene or rubber-like plastic material in between the 2 sheets of aluminum foil.
Two sheets of reflective aluminum foil are attached to the outside of this woven polyethylene material to make an aluminum foil-like tarp that is light and thin but can still be very strong and not easily torn. It is usually perforated so that it doesn't trap vapor, which could cause damage in certain building materials like wood. It works as an insulation by simply reflecting heat.
Radiant Barrier was or is used extensively by NASA for the extreme temperatures involved in going into space and returning. That is where it got its more well known name that you may have heard or seen of, called the space blanket. Space blankets are those small tin foil emergency blankets that could be folded up and kept in the glove box of your car.
Aluminum foil as you may well know has some amazing properties. For instance, you can bake a potato wrapped in tin foil in an oven at 450 degrees, for an hour and when you remove the tin foil covered potato you might have noticed that the tin foil doesn't retain hardly any heat at all.
Radiant Barrier As An Insulation
If you have ever gone into an attic in the summer you know that it can be dangerously hot up there. If you have an attic, more than likely you will have some of that blown in insulation. Usually a kind of fluffy stuff that is amongst the rafters. This is actually a true type of insulation but it doesn't have the reflective qualities such as radiant barrier.
When rolled out and carefully (avoiding electrical, phone or any other type of wiring) stapled to the rafters on top of that existing insulation in your attic, radiant barrier can reflect a substantial amount of heat from making it into your living spaces below. You will want to cut out any portion around bathroom heaters or anything electrical or inset, that are installed in the ceilings. You don't want to trap some heat below with the radiant barrier. It is best to let a qualified contractor install it if you don't have a knowledgeable handyman.
In the beginning radiant barrier was sort of expensive but nowadays it is relatively cheap considering the savings. In the summer months, radiant barrier can reflect the heat coming down from your attic keeping you much cooler. In the winter months, radiant barrier can reflect the heat you are running inside your house back downward, keeping you much warmer.
