We learned what radiant heat is and how it saturates your house with excessive heat earlier,( if you just popped onto this page from outer space you need to catch up by starting here.)

What is a Radiant Barrier?

When the sun heats a roof, it is primarily the sun’s radiant energy that makes the roof hot. A large portion of this heat travels by conduction through the roofing materials to the attic side of the roof. The hot roof material then radiates its gained heat energy into the cooler attic.

Conventional insulation materials, like fiberglass batts and cellulose can only delay ("R" value means Resist, not stop) the radiant heat from passing through to living areas of homes. Radiant barriers, by blocking this energy, have proven to be effective in keeping building structures substantially cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Studies at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) indicate that, under peak day conditions, total heat transfer down through attics can be reduced by more than 40% with radiant barriers.
How do radiant barriers "block" heat?
Radiant barriers are a type of reflective material used to deflect radiated heat. It blocks the heat from radiating into or out of the protected area be it your attic or a room in your home. There are several types of radiant barriers offered.
Some types include aluminum foil laminated to wood, heavy kraft building paper, mylar, polyethylene, and foil "house wraps" which are stapled or taped to the underside of the roof, and there are small chips or bubbles that are blown into the attic over the existing insulation .
Figure 1 illustrates the locations in which a radiant barrier may be installed in an attic. Only locations 1 and 2 are recommended for sheet radiant barriers because dust will accumulate on the radiant barrier if it is installed at location 3 and decrease its efficiency.


There are a few sprayable paint coatings available but they (up to now) have all been volatile solvent base coatings which are not only hazardous to the installer but also to the homeowner as the toxic fumes permeate the interior.
Years ago when I was a contractor I had to spray these toxic coatings and that is what prompted me to formulate our exclusive VOC free...
Radiant Barrier Coating

Does a radiant barrier have an R-value?
Not Much! The R value is so small its hardly worth mentioning.
" R-value's" relate ONLY to a material's resistance to the flow, or transfer, of Conducted heat, they do nothing for Radiant energy, it takes a radiant or reflective barrier to deal with radiant heat which will drive in a straight line until it is either deflected, or absorbed.
This means that the sun's radiant energy will eventually pass through your insulation, if it is not blocked by a radiant barrier.

The Department of Energy has a report,
Effect of Radiant Barriers on Heating and Cooling Bills which states,

"The tests to date have shown that in attics with R-19 insulation, radiant barriers can reduce summer ceiling heat gains by about 16 to 42 percent compared to an attic with the same insulation level and no radiant barrier."

Now imagine the energy you would save with reduced heat gains like that!
The state of California recently made Radiant Barriers mandatory in all new construction. You can be sure other states will soon follow their lead.

How do Radiant Barriers help me in the winter?:
Just about all the testing you will find on radiant barriers are related to attics, very little has been performed regarding walls.
We know that they reflect heat, so it only makes sense that if we install them in or on our walls they would reflect heat, back into the room in the winter if installed on the walls interior surface, and back outside if installed on the exterior side of the wall. Knowing that all you have to do is buy a few hundred rolls of aluminum foil and glue it to your interior and exterior walls and you will have tremendous savings on your heating and cooling bills. A lot of work and not very attractive so... Use Our Exclusive

We Provide the "Solutions"
You Just Need to Apply Them!