Most homeowners these days have heard about the use of radiant barriers to improve the efficiency of traditional house insulation. What you may not know is the potential uses for this product outside of lining the floor of your attic, the inside of your roof, or along the walls.
Using a radiant barrier in a the crawl space beneath your house can both insulate your floors and act as a moisture vapor barrier. It will prevent cool, damp air from affecting the floor of the house, resulting in warmer, more comfortable floors.
Similarly, using a radiant barrier under a concrete barrier such as basement floors, driveways, the increasingly popular radiant heat floors and commercial building floors will keep elements from seeping into the concrete from beneath, as well as reflecting heat from above. (This, of course, begs the question: Does this mean shoveling less snow off the driveway??)
While you may have purchased a more efficient air conditioner and furnace for your home, chances are that you’re still losing some of that efficiency as the air travels through the duct work. A radiant barrier can resolve that problem, as well as remedying cold, damp air and water condensation in the basement. You can also insulate your garage door, reducing the amount of temperature change inside your garage.
There are many additional commercial applications for radiant barrier as well. Metal buildings easily conducts heat in and out of the building. In addition, did you know that overheated cows and chickens don’t produce as much milk or eggs?
As you can see, the use of the product stretches far beyond one application, and appears to be limited only by the imagination. As an added benefit, many radiant barriers are fire retardant, which can help slow the spread of a fire in the house.
A slightly comical mental picture of an aluminum-foil-wrapped house comes to mind, but when considering all of these benefits, especially if you are adding it as a house is built, a radiant barrier is a solution to more problems than heat escaping through the roof. Sounds good to me!
Lincoln is a resource for homeowners seeking to save energy, lower their utility bills with attic insulation, and improve the life of their HVAC system. As an experienced residential carpenter, Lincoln gained firsthand experience with improving the quality and efficiency of homes in his Midwest community. Seeking a more effective way to heat and cool his home, he discovered radiant barrier foil insulation and now spends his time helping others do the same.