Texas A&M University Study Gives Thumbs Up To Radiant Barrier Insulation

Saturday, November 6, 2010 by Universal Forest Products

There is some controversy as to whether radiant barrier insulation reduces the life of asphalt shingles. Studies by both the University of Florida and Texas A & M University show no significant heat increase in shingles on roofs employing radiant barrier insulation in conjunction with full venting. 

Radiant Barrier Reflective InsulationTexas A&M University actually built two homes to test the effectiveness of radiant foil barrier insulation. One home without radiant barrier and one with radiant barrier. The tests concluded that there was a significant reduction in heat gain in the test home with radiant barrier insulation. There was no evidence of damage to shingles because of reflected heat.

Here are the results of the Texas A&M University Radiant Barrier Study (PDF). This study should alleviate fears about using radiant barrier foil on a home that has asphalt shingles. As long as you use full venting—that is a full ridge vent and vents along the soffit—it is OK.

Further studies at Texas Tech University have shown the cooling effect in a hot attic of radiant barrier insulation to be approximately 15 degrees with an asphalt shingle roof and 13 degrees Fahrenheit with a metal roof. How this translates into a certain percentage of cost reduction depends on the amount of insulation between the dwelling and the attic.

There are new underlayment products that go directly under a metal roof but for existing homes your choice will be limited to stapling the proper width of radiant barrier between your rafters up against the ceiling.

Radiant barrier insulation is among our list of green building products. It appears that it does live up to most of the manufacturer's claims. Here's an in-depth explanation of how radiant barrier insulation works by the U.S. Department Of Energy: DOE Radiant Barrier Information.

Comments for Texas A&M University Study Gives Thumbs Up To Radiant Barrier Insulation

Monday, March 5, 2012 by Dove Johnson:
There is a news release that reflective insulation does not work but the only study I find is from 1983 This is what the dept of commerce states."A report compiled by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, shows that the benefits of radiant barriers decrease significantly in northern climates. In southern cities like Miami, Florida or Austin, Texas, radiant barriers could reduce a household’s utility bill by as much as $150 per year using average residential electricity prices. But in colder climate states such as Minnesota, where annual air-conditioning loads are considerably less, savings drop to only $10 to $40 a year." Don't believe this to be true. Is there a newer study I can not find?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 by Chris Fox:
It is extremely difficult to quantify expected energy savings due to variability in ones energy provider (coal, nuclear, gas) for both electricity and home heating. Additionally, physical attributes of a home contribute to more or less energy consumption. Ie: trees for shade, attic ventilation, insulation, shingles, home size, etc.

Tennessee Valley Authority has a good study of the benefits of radiant barriers in both warm and cold climates.

http://txspace.di.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/6869/ESL-HH-86-11-10.pdf?sequence=3

The report shows energy savings from adding a radiant barrier ranging anywhere from 6%-23% when the temperature dropped below 35 degrees F. Radiant barriers are more effective during the summer months when your air conditioner is running and there are greater levels of radiant heat entering your home, but they still work at preventing up to 96% of radiant heat transfer in both warm and cold weather.

When trying to calculate your savings it is best to understand how much energy you are using to heat and cool your house.

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