Radiant Barrier is fairly cheap if you look online. I did my attic this spring and at that time the cheapest was from www.ecofoil.com at $125.00 / 1000 s.f.
I didnt need to add blow in but I think its around $5 for 16 cubic ft.
A radiant barrier is typically installed in the attic, either under the roof or on the attic floor, to reduce heat transfer into the living spaces below by reflecting radiant heat. This positioning helps to keep the living areas cooler in hot weather.
The presence of a radiant barrier air gap can improve the insulation performance of a building by reducing heat transfer through radiation. The air gap acts as a barrier that reflects radiant heat, helping to keep the building cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather. This can lead to energy savings and increased comfort indoors.
Spray on radiant barrier is not only expensive but performs only half as good as rolled radiant barrier. I was going to have my attic sprayed until I went to a seminar on rolled radiant barrier. They showed a video of test done in the same attic with one side sprayed and the other side rolled radiant barrier. They had a digital heat reader on both products and the difference was almost 20 degrees in 5 minutes. So I went online and found some rolled radiant barrier called ECOFOIL from www.ecofoil.com. Easy to install and really keeps my living room cooler.
There are four main types of insulation: fiberglass, cellulose, foam, and radiant barrier. Each type offers different benefits and is suitable for different applications based on factors like cost, effectiveness, and environmental impact.
Reflective insulation can help reduce heat transfer by reflecting radiant heat away from the living space, thus improving energy efficiency by reducing heating and cooling costs. It is also lightweight, easy to install, and can be a cost-effective way to improve the thermal performance of a building.
If you are looking for radiant barrier by the square foot just search online for radiant barrier. I install radiant barrier and it comes from www.ecofoil.com
You can find this type of insulation at Radiant Barrier Products. 631 Tuten Trl, Orlando, Florida. (407) 382-4737.
A radiant barrier is typically installed in the attic, either under the roof or on the attic floor, to reduce heat transfer into the living spaces below by reflecting radiant heat. This positioning helps to keep the living areas cooler in hot weather.
First thing to do is read all instructions before installing radiant barrier foil. Make repairs to the area that you are planning to insulate. Unroll the radiant barrier and cut with scissors or knife. Staple into place.
I went to a seminar about attic insulating materials and this is what I learned. If you already have blow-in insulation in your attic you shouldn't need more fiberglass. Instead, you will want to install a reflective radiant barrier insulation. Fiberglass and cellulose are designed to slow down heat escaping so you eventually lose most of your heat through the ceiling regardless. You need something to re-direct the heat once it passes through the blow-in insulation. Radiant Barrier will reflect a majority of the heat back once it escapes your blow-in insulation. I bought some Ecofoil online and just rolled it out over top of my existing blow-in insulation, it was very easy. When installing radiant barrier over the attic floor you must use the perforated radiant barrier for maximum breathability. Moist air that is created inside your home must be able to escape as it rises through your ceiling. If a perforated radiant barrier is not used, the moisture will be trapped in between the barrier and your ceiling. When trapped this will cause condensation to form inside the building materials and insulation creating damage and mold.
The presence of a radiant barrier air gap can improve the insulation performance of a building by reducing heat transfer through radiation. The air gap acts as a barrier that reflects radiant heat, helping to keep the building cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather. This can lead to energy savings and increased comfort indoors.
Fiberglass and cellulose insulation work by slowing down heat transfer from one source to another. That's why the thicknesses of those insulation's are crucial for performance. Also, fiberglass and cellulose only resist heat transfer, they don't block or reflect it so it eventually escapes through. Perforated radiant barrier can be installed over top of existing attic insulation to form a reflective cover to enhance your other insulation. When installing radiant barrier over the attic floor you must use the perforated radiant barrier for maximum breathability. Moist air that is created inside your home must be able to escape as it rises through your ceiling. If a perforated radiant barrier is not used, the moisture will be trapped in between the barrier and your ceiling. When trapped this will cause condensation to form inside the building materials and insulation creating damage and mold. - EcoFoil
The best attic insulation for hot climates is reflective insulation, such as radiant barrier or foil insulation. These types of insulation help to reflect heat away from the attic, keeping the space cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning.
No. A radiant barrier requires an air space to function properly. If the radiant barrier s sandwiched between two solid objects, then the heat will be able to conduct right through it. If you would like to apply a radiant barrier over your existing roof, one solution would be to use spacers or furring strips over the existing roof and use either a tile or metal roof over the spacers. If you must have asphalt shingles, then the radiant barrier would have to be applied in the attic space. A similar issue came up when people wanted to install a radiant barrier under concrete where it would have any air space. In a letter to a manufacturer, the FTC wrote, "It is well accepted that reflective insulation and radiant barrier products must have an air space adjacent to the reflective material to be effective." I am including a link to this letter below. http:/www.rimainternational.org/pdf/ftc-letter.pdf
Radiant barriers can be repaired by using various radiant barrier laminate polyester treatments to become metalized.
A radiant barrier is a thin sheet of highly reflective aluminum comprised of one or more layers (for puncture and tear resistance) that, when installed properly, will block at least 90% of the radiant heat that hits it.Radiant barriers are unaffected by humidity or ambient temperatures, unlike other forms of insulation, and therefore perform at a consistent level at all times.When installed in an attic, a radiant barrier reflective foil insulation products can reduce attic temperatures by up to 30 degrees when installed to the underside of roof rafters. Lowering attic temperatures provides a significant benefit by reducing air conditional loads and energy usage. Attic insulation radiant barriers can also:Reduce heat transfer from attic to living spaces by up to 50%,Extend the life of air conditioning units, andIncrease the comfort level of a home.Radiant Barrier Definition : Per the Department of Energy (DOE), a product classified as a "radiant barrier" must have a low emittance of 10% or less and high reflectance of 90% or more.Emittance (or emissivity), refers to the ability of a material's surface to emit radiant energy. All materials have emissivities ranging from 0% to 100%. The lower the emittance of a material, the lower the heat (infra-red radiant energy) radiated from its surface. Aluminum foil has a very low emittance, which explains its use in reflective insulation and radiant barriers.Reflectance (or reflectivity) refers to the fraction of incoming radiant energy that is reflected from the surface. Reflectivity and emissivity are related and a low emittance is indicative of a highly reflective surface.RadiantGUARD®radiant barrier products BLOCK 97% of the radiant heat - much higher than the DOE minimum reflectance criteria for a radiant barrier product.
Spray on radiant barrier is not only expensive but performs only half as good as rolled radiant barrier. I was going to have my attic sprayed until I went to a seminar on rolled radiant barrier. They showed a video of test done in the same attic with one side sprayed and the other side rolled radiant barrier. They had a digital heat reader on both products and the difference was almost 20 degrees in 5 minutes. So I went online and found some rolled radiant barrier called ECOFOIL from www.ecofoil.com. Easy to install and really keeps my living room cooler.