What is Radiant Barrier? – BIG SAVINGS IN THE ATTIC
One of the most common things I get asked is why is my electric bill so high and what can I do to lower it? Today I want to focus on a product called radiant barrier and what it can do to help save you money.
Let’s start in the attic if you dare and pretend today is July 18th at 4:00 pm. Guess what? The temperature outside is right around 91 degrees and the attic just topped out at 153 degrees! Lord, I am sweating just thinking about that.
The heat in the attic wants to find its way into your home anywhere it can. The heat will travel down the walls, come in through openings in the ceiling and something most people don’t think of is the ducts that are likely running through the attic. The ducts are insulated, however, even the best insulation cannot combat that kind of heat. You are paying lots of money to cool the air through the air conditioner, and then we are sending it through tubes in a super hot attic. I can tell you that air is getting warmer as it travels through the attic, especially on the worst of summer days.
So, as usual the question becomes what can we do? The answer is to install radiant barrier. Radiant barrier comes in two forms. It can be installed as a rolled-out foil that is stapled to the trusses or it can be applied in the form of a heavy metallic paint that is sprayed on the interior of the roof deck and down the trusses. Both forms are effective, however, I prefer the paint as it is more durable and longer lasting. The foil application can, over time, start to fall off the trusses and if anyone needs to go into the attic to make other repairs to plumbing or electrical systems the foil style can be very easily damaged.
What does radiant barrier do you ask? Very simple… it takes sixty-five to seventy percent of the ambient heat in the attic and reflects it back out into the atmosphere. Word of warning; if you have a shingle roof DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT install radiant barrier in your home! The heat being reflected back out of the attic will literally melt your roof from the inside out and instead of your roof lasting twenty or twenty-five years, you’ll be looking for a new roof in under five years.
The good news is that our attic that was 153 degrees before, is now sitting at a very comfortable 90 degrees after we installed the barrier. I can tell you having done this to many South Florida homes that the comfort level in the home will greatly improve and the electric bills can drop as much of forty percent. There are other things that need to be checked in the attic to conserve energy, however, radiant barrier is a great place to start.
Until we meet again have you ever considered the fact that if a short psychic broke out of jail you would have a small medium at large?
House Whisperer out!!
