Radiant Barrier Tips, Tricks, Techniques & More

Radiant Barrier Tax Credits for 2008

2008-05-06T19:09:00.006-06:00

As of December 31, 2007, most of the residential tax credits (windows, doors, roofs, insulation including radiant barrier and reflective insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters) expired. The tax credit for solar water heaters and solar panels remains in effect through December 31, 2008.

On February 27, 2008, the House passed $18.1 billion in renewable energy tax incentives (H.R. 5351), including an extension of the tax credit for energy-efficient home improvements. The bill is similar to the one passed last year, which was ultimately removed from the 2007 Energy Bill, signed into law in December 2007. This bill must still pass in the Senate, and be signed by the President to become law.

As soon as we have more information about this bill, information will be posted here.

Lower Utilities by Installing RadiantGUARD® Radiant Barrier

2008-04-28T17:32:00.003-06:00

Coal price hikes boost electric rates, more increases coming (AP News) By JOHN WILEN – Apr 28, 2008

While radiant barriers have been in the marketplace for almost 30 years, they have recently gained popularity due to the ever increasing costs of energy.

RadiantGUARD® radiant barrier reflective 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 foil insulation radiant barriers can also:

Reduce heat transfer from attic to living spaces by up to 50%,
Extend the life of air conditioning units, and
Increase the comfort level of a home.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas conducted independent research and discovered that radiant barrier insulation can reduce energy consumption by up to 35% during peak hours in the summer and by up to 29% over extended periods.

Radiant barrier configurations tested yielded sizable percent savings (17%, based on Energy Star Evaluation) and statistically significant reductions in summer attic heat transfer compared to the non-radiant barrier test case.

Start combating rising electric rates and install RadiantGUARD® radiant barrier and reflective insulation products today.

RIMA Changes Name to RIMA International

2008-03-31T09:46:00.002-06:00

The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) is pleased to announce they have officially changed the association name to Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International (RIMA International) effective immediately.

The association has maintained a small international membership for many years but over the past two years, more international companies have joined the association as RIMA International becomes more actively involved in industry issues worldwide. A new international division has been formed and a new international director appointed which will focus specifically on issues facing reflective insulation, radiant barrier and IRCC companies outside of North America in the areas of standards development, education and awareness. The first international meeting of the association was held last April 2007 in Paris, France. The next international meeting will be held in 2009 (location TBA).

RIMA is proud to be able to serve members in all regions of the world and will continue to work on behalf of the industry and the membership to bring understanding and recognition for reflective products everywhere.

Radiant GUARD becomes member of ASTM

2007-10-01T17:00:00.001-06:00

Radiant GUARD is proud to announce its new affiliation with ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials.

"ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy." --ASTM website.

As a member of ASTM, Radiant GUARD continues its mission to provide comprehensive and accurate radiant barrier and reflective insulation information as well as to promote the reflective insulation industry.

Radiant GUARD Becomes New Member of RIMA

2007-06-19T08:05:00.000-06:00

Radiant GUARD is proud to announce its new affiliation with the Reflective Insulation Manufacturer Association (RIMA).

"RIMA represents reflective insulation and radiant barrier manufacturers and other companies that are active within the industry. RIMA exists to educate the marketplace on the benefits of reflective technologies and to represent member's interests in establishing ASTM standards for testing and installation procedures." -- RIMA website.

As a member of RIMA, Radiant GUARD continues its mission to provide comprehensive and accurate radiant barrier and reflective insulation information as well as to promote the reflective insulation industry.

Reflective Insulation for Metal Buildings

2007-05-09T10:04:00.000-06:00

Metal buildings, due to their high conductivity of heat from the roof and walls, benefit greatly from the addition of reflective insulation. Reflective insulation, along with radiant barriers, reduce up to 97% of the radiant heat that transfers across air spaces, which is the most significant cause of heat gain and loss in metal buildings.

A reflective insulation most commonly used in commercial metal buildings is a bubble foil product that containes polyethylene bubble layers between one or two outer layers of highly reflective aluminum.

RadiantGUARD™ FOIL Double Bubble and WHITE Double Bubble are ideal for insulating commercial metal buildings. RadiantGUARD™ products block 97% of the radiant heat responsible for the majority of a metal building heat gain and loss in both summer and winter conditions. These Double Bubble products also serve as vapor barriers making them ideal at remedying condensation issues that commonly occur in metal buildings when warmer air comes in contact with cooler air.

Save heating and cooling costs and purchase

RadiantGUARD™ Double Bubble insulation as your metal building insulation today!

RadiantGUARD™ Double Bubble insulation is easy to cut, configure in any design, and install.

Best Radiant Barrier Placement Location In An Attic

2007-04-30T17:26:00.000-06:00

So you've decided that you want to use a radiant barrier product in your attic but you aren't sure where it should be installed? In a retro-fit installation project, a radiant barrier is typically installed in one of two locations:

rolled out over the attic floor with or without existing insulation already in place, OR
stapled to the underside of the roof rafters.

Which is the best location that yeilds the highest savings? There are several factors to consider:

The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) conducted a study on the placement of radiant barriers between the two locations and found that the placement on the attic floor yeilded the highest benefits.
Opponents to placing a radiant barrier on the attic floor have the following concerns:

dust accumulation can diminish the effectiveness of a radiant barrier over time - in response to this claim, Tennessee Valley Authority project engineer James R. Hall conducted a study on radiant barrier dust accumulation effects and found that dust accumulation had little to no affect on the performance of a radiant barrier on an attic floor placement.
AC duct work suspended in an attic above a radiant barrier placed on the attic floor is continually subjected to radiant heat as if no barrier had been used therefore causing warm air to initially blow out the vents into livings spaces - in response to this claim, this can easily be overcome by laying an additional piece of radiant barrier over the duct work like a blanket.
items stored in the attic on top of a radiant barrier placed on the floor render that section of the radiant barrier ineffective - in response to this claim, this can easily be overcome by laying an additional piece of radiant barrier over the storage items like a blanket.

Armed with the studies, claims, and responses above, we hope we have made it easier for you to decide what attic installation location is best for your application.

When to Use Perforated or Solid/Vapor Radiant Barrier

2007-04-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

Once you understand the purpose of a vapor barrier, understanding where to use one versus using a perforated barrier is easy.

Warm moisture-laden air found inside your home/building structure moves via convection to cooler areas and condenses squeezing out the moisture creating condensation/water droplets. If this condensation comes in contact with fiberglass insulation found in your walls or attic, it will damage the insulation rendering it useless and damage the framing structure.

Therefore, vapor barriers are almost always installed on the warm air side (inside wall) of insulation found in your home to stop the transference of this moiture-laden air to the insulation. In the small region between the southern tip of Texas to the Florida-Georgia border on the Atlantic ocean, vapor barriers are typically installed on the outer side (outside wall) of the insulation.

When installing a radiant barrier over the attic floor, it is a MUST to use a "perforated" radiant barrier to allow any moisture-laden air passing up through the ceiling and any existing insulation to pass through the radiant barrier up and out the attic. If a solid/vapor barrier is used, the moisture-laden air will be stopped, condensate, and then drip onto the ceiling and any existing insulation causing water damage.

98% of our sales of RadiantGUARD™ radiant barrier products are for the perforated version. If you decide you need a solid/vapor barrier, our RadiantGUARD™ Ultra radiant barrier is available in a solid version.

IRS Tax Credit for Installing Radiant Barriers

2007-04-05T08:20:00.000-06:00

On August 8, 2005, President Bush signed into the law the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Tax credits (Section 25C) are available for many types of home improvements including adding insulation, replacement windows, and certain high efficiency heating and cooling equipment. Products that qualify must be installed after December 31, 2005 and before January 1, 2008.

Credit amount is equal to 10% of the amount paid for qualified energy efficiency improvements installed during the tax year. The maximum amount of homeowner credit for all improvements combined is $500 during the two year period of the tax credit.

RadiantGUARD™ radiant barrier foil insulation products qualify for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 tax credits.

Purchase and install now before January 1, 2008 to claim the credits on your 2007 taxes.

TIP: Keep Handy Knife and Scissors Within Easy Reach

2007-04-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

When installing radiant barriers in your attic space, it's imperitive to keep your tools within easy reach.

Our installers have found the KLEIN TOOLS Cable Splicer's Kit product very useful during installation projects.

The kit includes the following:

cable-splicers knife,
electrician's scissors with stripping notches, and
slotted leather holder which attaches to belts up to 2" wide.

Why Radiant Barriers Need An Air Space

2007-03-29T14:26:00.001-06:00

After all your research on radiant barriers, you've probably come across the statement many times stating that in order for a radiant barrier to be effective, it must face an air space. Why is an air space required? It's very simple:

If a radiant barrier is sandwiched directly between two other materials touching its surface, heat would be conducted directly through the radiant barrier from the first material to the second material. The second material would then radiate heat from itself as if a radiant barrier had not been used at all. Why?

Aluminum is very poor at stopping conductive heat flow. However, aluminum, of which radiant barrier are composed, have two wonderful properties that work in conjuction with an air space that make it ideal as a radiant barrier material:

the ability reflect radiant heat that travels across an air space to its surface (factor called "reflectivity"), and
the inability to emit radiant heat from itself across an air space (factor called "emissivity").

"Reflectivity" is the the amount of radiant heat that a material "reflects" (i.e. does not absorb). RadiantGUARD™ radiant barrier products reflect 97% of the radiant heat when facing an air space.

"Emissivity" is the amount of radiant heat that a material "emits" (i.e radiates) from itself. RadiantGUARD™ radiant barrier products emit only 3% of radiant heat when facing an air space.

Reflectivity and emissivity factors are inverses of each other and because RadiantGUARD™ radiant barrier products are double-sided, you only need to achieve an air space on one side of the radiant barrier. However, when possible, most consumers feel better protected by achieving an air space on both sides. Why not - it certainly doesn't hurt.

TIP: Outline Your Radiant Barrier Covered Decking

2007-03-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

Radiant barriers can be installed in your attic space following a variety of radiant barrier installation techniques:

Stapled to the underside of your attic rafters,
Draped over the top of your attic rafters before the roof decking is attached,
Stapled directly to the roof decking before the roof decking is attached, or
Rolled out over the attic floor over the floor joists or existing insulation.

The most effective radiant barrier installation method is to lay the radiant barrier directly over the attic floor joists or existing insulation.

A great tip related to laying the radiant barrier directly on the attic floor is to tape an outline of any decking pieces you use to walk on to access various storage areas or equipment in your attic. By outlining these decking pieces with a brightly colored tape, you, and contractors or repairmen who access your attic in the future, will easily be able to see where it's safe to walk eliminating the risk of stepping in the wrong place through the ceiling drywall.

Got another great installation tip? Email: Support@RadiantGUARD.com.

Radiant GUARD Launches Radiant Barrier Blog

2007-03-27T08:37:00.000-06:00

RadiantGUARD.com is proud to introduce "Radiant Barrier Tips, Tricks, Techniqes & More" as a method of keeping consumers up-to-date on all things radiant barrier foil insulation related.

It is our goal to provide fresh content daily based on our extensive research of current trends in the radiant barrier, insulation, and green building industries. We also plan to share tips, tricks and installation techniques as shared by our customers to help others determine new ways to reduce their energy costs as well as protect our environment.

Have a topic you would like us to consider for our blog? Please email us at Support@RadiantGUARD.com.

Regards - Radiant GUARD