SUMMER: "A radiant barrier system can stop 97 percent of the thermal radiation across an attic space. If it is not stopped, that radiant energy would be absorbed by the ceiling insulation and eventually be transferred to the living space below." The Solar Collector, Quarterly Newsletter of the Florida Solar Energy Center. The heat storage capacity of reflective insulation is low.

Radiant Barrier is a material that is a poor re-transmitter of infrared waves (radiant energy). By definition, this re-transmission characteristic (emissivity) must be at or below 10%. The emissivity of Reflectix? products is approximately 3%. Therefore, when a Radiant Barrier is installed in a residential attic, it "blocks" 90% + of the radiant energy that is being radiated by the hot roofing materials.

Savings of up to 15% off your air conditioning usage are typical. This can be a larger number if you have ducts mounted in your attic space.

Ventilation is not required, but it is extremely helpful when addressing convective heat transfer. If an attic system has a mass insulation, (such as fiberglass), a Radiant Barrier and a ridge vent, it has addressed all three types of heat flow; conductive, convective and radiant.

Radiant barriers are installed in homes—most commonly in attics—to keep them cooler and reduce cooling costs. In hot climates, the benefits of a radiant barrier include both dollar savings and increased comfort. The barrier consists of a highly reflective material that reflects radiant heat, rather than absorbing it. Without a radiant barrier, your roof radiates solar-generated heat to the insulation below it.

No. Products with R-values reduce rates of "conductive" heat transfer and are tested for this characteristic. Radiant Barriers provide benefit by dramatically reducing "radiant" heat transfer which is just as quantifiable but not related to R-value type performance.

In a home without a radiant barrier at the roofline, your roof radiates solar-generated heat, which elevates attic temperatures upward to 150 degrees or higher. These higher temperatures will increase the heat gain in air conditioning ducts and reduce the performance of mass insulation (the R-values of mass insulation are determined at 75 degrees F - higher temperatures lower the R-value). In addition, the extreme temperatures will saturate the building materials in the attic.

Reflectix is the Industry Leader! We manufacture the highest quality, most extensively-tested, readily-available, foil-based insulation and radiant barriers in the United States. With Reflectix? products, there is no middleman. We are the manufacturer and we operate with a quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2000. Our testing regiment is second to none.

Dust only comes into play when the product is installed in blanket fashion on the floor of the attic. Dust should be removed periodically for the product to maintain its effectiveness. Installations with the product on the roof deck or underside of the rafter require no maintenance.

Reflectix? has a Class A/Class 1 Fire Rating on the Foil/Scrim/Foil Radiant Barrier meeting all fire and smoke safety requirements of federal, state and local building codes. (Satisfies UL 723, NFPA 255 and UBC 42-1.) Company Profile | About Reflective Technology | Applications & Products | Literature | News | Contact Us

From a scientific point of view, the formulae used to calculate heat transfer by conduction and radiation are as follows: effective conductive heat barrier (insulating against heat transfer by conduction) reduces the heat transfer by copnduction by providing thermal resistance (R-value). This is where mass insulation such as fiberglass wool. polystyrene, etc. come into play. The main drawback to conductive insulation relates to thickness. The thicker the better.

You will not need the humidifier as much because the air is more stable and not being changed as much.

ASTEC is an excellent means of preventing solar radiation from being absorbed into a surface. However, most of the overheating of vehicle interiors occurs from sunlight through side windows, with only a fraction of the heat gain occurring through the roof. ASTEC would reduce the heat gain but the effect would not be as effective as tinting the windows would be.

The "R" value depends on the number and size of the airspaces surrounding the RB and on the direction of the heat flow. Since RB is usually installed on top of existing mass insulation, its R-value is a moot point. It is RB's ability to reflect heat that makes it such an energy saver.

As the log shell is being loaded onto trucks for delivery, the lateral V groove on each log is filled with fiberglass insulation and ready for re-erection. Each of the corner notches are laid with insulation as the home is re-erected. All of the insulation for the log work is included in the package price.