Radiant Barriers For A Warmer Winter

Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Radiant barriers are well known for their ability to block incoming heat from the sun during summer months, but there is an additional benefit many people are unaware of: heat retention during winter months. Not all radiant barriers are double sided, but Dixie’s Diamond Barrier Plus Insulation is double sided so that it reflects radiant heat back in the direction it came from. Diamond Barrier Plus blocks up to 20% of the sun’s heat in the summer and 5% of the heat is reflected back into the house during winter months. Winter energy savings is an additional reason everyone should install a radiant barrier.

How Radiant Barriers Work

Heat travels from a warm area to a cool area by a combination of conduction, convection, and radiation. Most people are very familiar with conductive and convective heat loss. Heat flows by conduction from a hotter location within a material or assembly to a colder location. Basically, the cold outside of your home can also make the inner walls cold.

Heat transfer by convection occurs when a liquid or gas is heated by a surface, becomes less dense, and rises (natural convection), or when a moving stream of air absorbs heat from a warmer surface (forced convection). This is when your cold walls makes the air inside of your home colder too.

Properly insulating your home with products like new vinyl replacement windows is the best way to cut down on conductive heat loss. Eliminating air leaks throughout your home with weather stripping will help cut down on convective heat loss.

Then there is radiant heat transfer. Radiant heat travels in a straight line away from any surface and heats anything solid that absorbs the incident energy. Radiant heat transfer occurs because warmer surfaces emit more radiation than cooler surfaces. When you see an infrared camera on the news, that’s what the camera is showing. The things that appear white are emitting radiant heat.

Cost Effective Insulation

Compared to other insulation options, radiant barriers are very cost effective. They are affordable to buy and relatively easy to install. Most people will experience a return on their investment within the first year, but a radiant barrier’s effectiveness depends on proper installation. Therefore, it’s best to have a certified installer do it.

Radiant barriers can be installed between the roof sheathing and attic floor insulation, in cavity walls, and around door openings, water heaters, and pipes. If you would like to learn more about cost effective insulation like radiant barriers, feel free to give us a call at the number above.

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