Go Green - Energy Efficiency in Your Home

Fiberglass insulation depends on R-Value (resistance) alone to insulate against summer heat gain and winter heat loss. Thin layers of fiberglass do virtually nothing to stop reflective heat or energy transfer. Fiberglass insulation is also affected by changes in humidity or moisture levels. A 1% to 1-1/2% change in the moisture content of fiberglass insulation can result in up to a 36% decrease in performance.

Unlike fiberglass insulation, reflective insulation or radiant barrier foil products, such as Enerflex, are not affected by humidity and moisture changes and will continue to provide energy savings and insulation value no matter what the moisture level is. Reflective radiant barrier foil also has additional uses for which fiberglass insulation is not applicable, such as radiant heating systems, or any under or over concrete slab applications. In these uses, reflective insulation is the better, if not only, choice to use.

Most people are familiar with traditional insulating materials such as fiberglass, cellulose, Styrofoam, and rock wool. These products absorb or slow down convective and conductive heat transfers. These types of insulation do not BLOCK heat—only slow it down. Therefore, after a period of time, 100% of the heat radiated would eventually transfer through the insulation. The rate in which this heat eventually transfers through an insulation material is the material's R-Value. If you want to reflect the heat—stop it in its tracks—you need a radiant barrier.

As a home owner, the challenge is how to keep the heat in during winter and how to keep it out during summer. There are three ways in which heat goes from warm spaces to cold spaces:

1. Conduction is direct heat flow through a solid object such as a wall or a ceiling.
2. Convection is heat movement through air, occurring when air is warmed. The warm air expands, becoming less dense and rising.
3. Radiation is the movement of heat rays across air spaces from one warm object to a cooler object.

The heat we feel from a wood stove or a space heater is radiant heat. All objects and bodies give off radiant heat. Even the insulation in your attic gives off radiant heat to the cold attic space in the winter and to the living space in the summer. Regular insulation won't stop radiant heat loss. Radiant heat must be reflected with a radiant barrier.

To find out how Enerflex Radiant Barrier works or how easy it is to install radiant barrier, visit the Enerflex Radiant Barrier website.